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Cricket
By K.C. Vijaya Kumar
Anil Kumble has always loved challenges. And the hectic season ahead could provide enough of them for the leg-spinner who is keen to deliver the goods.
"I have always loved challenges, loved to improve my game, I just try and be at the top of my game at all times and that is what I always strive for,'' Anil Kumble says. The man, who has scripted India's golden run at home for the last decade, believes "nobody can take away what I have achieved in the last 12 years.'' Looking back, Kumble says, "I am pretty satisfied with my performance last season. Obviously I had very limited opportunities but I think I did a decent job in whatever opportunities that came my way. With regard to the team, it was a mixed bag, we won the Test match at Headingley in England — it was probably the first Test that I played in and won overseas — the Natwest Trophy triumph was good, New Zealand was disappointing, the World Cup was good though the end was disappointing. But overall, we are a lot more consistent than what we were.'' Losing the World Cup final does rankle for a man who believes in giving his best even if it means bowling with an injured jaw strapped together as he did in the West Indies, and feels there is no satisfaction in earning the bridesmaid's tag. "In this world there is no such thing as a second place. We got into a situation where we had to win but somehow it didn't happen. Australia is a tough side but we have beaten them before. But I guess, the fact that none of our players have ever played in a World Cup final while Australia had a few players who have had that experience, may have caused a few things that didn't go our way. We still have to wait for another four years and another 10 matches for a World Cup final,'' he says. Talking about the World Cup inevitably leads to his omission from the playing XI. "At a personal level, the World Cup was disappointing. I don't like to sit out. It is something that has never happened in my career. I have always been in the thick of things. So it is a bit difficult for me to adjust but it's something that the team management had taken a decision about with regard to the team combination. But in whatever opportunities I got, I was satisfied with my performance. I have contributed to the team in my own way even while sitting out,'' he says. "Yes, there were negative thoughts after the World Cup but the holiday I took with my wife and daughter helped me a great deal. There are new challenges on the horizon and I would rather look at them than brood over the past,'' he adds. Looking ahead, Kumble is on the threshold of a milestone — Test wicket No. 350 — with the series against New Zealand and the Australian tour fuelling his competitive fire. "We need to up our game to beat Australia, we need to be tough. The three-day matches at the beginning of the tour will be crucial. But before that we should start positively against New Zealand because they are a competitive side. The tri-series after that is very crucial as the third side is Australia and if we can beat them, then we can carry forward that confidence into Australia,'' he says.
Two to tango
To play havoc with the opposition in tandem with Harbhajan Singh remains Kumble's dream. "It is important that we complement each other and bowl together. That is what everyone mentioned after I came back from the shoulder surgery but it hasn't exactly happened that way. Whenever we bowled together we have always done well whether it is a Test match or a one-dayer. "I also prefer a spinner bowling at the other end who keeps it tight because you don't really give the batsman any breathing space. As a spinner you finish an over in a Test match in one and half to two minutes and if it is a maiden, it is quicker. It helps to have Bhajji (Harbhajan) bowling at the other end but this is something only the selectors can control,'' he says. Kumble's overseas record may pale in comparison with his strikes at home but the genial leg-spinner has his reasons: "People say that I haven't performed well abroad, and yes, I think it's a fair criticism. Each bowler has his own style of getting wickets and if the surface is suitable I have never let the team down and that's something I can be proud of. And don't forget that whenever we play in India we score around 400 plus runs and as a spinner you need runs on the board. "The only Test match abroad in which we had 600 runs on the board and two spinners played, we won that Test match at Headingley last year and that too on a wicket considered seamer-friendly. I have never complained that the pitches were not good or even about my injuries. In the end what matters is the faith of your teammates and respect of the opponents,'' he says. Kumble reiterates that the shoulder surgery he underwent a few seasons ago has helped him improve. "I am much stronger in terms of strength and fitness. Shoulder injury is an occupational hazard. I probably have bowled more than anybody during that period of time. And at that time, the awareness and expertise on fitness and injury prevention was not available to us and the shoulder injury was bound to happen. "I am grateful to the support that I had from my doctor in South Africa during the surgery and the help I had from physios like Andrew (Leipus), Ramakant and yoga instructor Omkar. And also the support I got from my wife at that time is something that I can't express,'' he says. The recent break from the game has also helped Kumble work on his craft. "I have been trying to bowl a little slower, get more orthodox in my bowling and that is something that doesn't come naturally to me. You need to keep trying new things and improve. But it is a Catch-22 situation, if it works people say it is special, if it doesn't work then people say he has lost it,'' he remarks. Kumble is ready to do what he knows best — walk in from the deep, bowl endless overs and smile past bemused batsmen. The man who grabbed a `Perfect 10' is waiting for his next strike.
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