The Hindu : Sport : Kumble makes a fine start

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Friday, Nov 23, 2007
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Sport

Kumble makes a fine start

Rakesh Rao

NEW DELHI: Call it the mystical “beginner’s luck” or a seasoned performer’s plain and simple captaincy acumen, Anil Kumble surely enjoyed a good day at work as a Test skipper.

When he was appointed captain earlier this month, there was criticism of the genial Karnataka leg-spinner’s apparent lack of aggression. Some even dismissed him as a “defensive captain” even before watching him perform his new role even once.

At 37, Kumble does not need any certificate from former or fellow players, experts from the commentators’ box or journalists to feel good about his performance. He knows his job as a match-winner, a senior player and now a captain.

So it did not come as a surprise when Kumble marshalled his resources effectively and helped India seize early advantage in the battle of wits against Pakistan at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground.

Ringing in the changes

Once Pakistan chose to bat and Zaheer Khan struck twice to give India the initiative, Kumble was quick to bring himself on as a first change. The move worked as he bowled a well-set Yasir Hameed. The introduction of Sourav Ganguly too was timely since the conditions assisted seam movement.

Significantly, in the post-lunch session, he read the conditions well and brought Ganguly back into the attack to keep the batsmen under pressure.

Though Kumble himself struck thrice, including twice in the second spell, he re-introduced the medium pacers and kept the batsmen guessing.

In the post tea-session, in which India eventually went wicketless, Kumble sensed that conditions had improved in batsmen’s favour. Between the 70th and 81st overs, he chose defensive, run-saving fields before looking for a breakthrough with the second new ball.

With only 4.4 overs possible with the new ball before bad light forced closure, the medium pacers can be expected to enjoy a breakthrough early on Friday morning.

Ganguly’s pat

“He was fantastic,” was how Ganguly chose to describe Kumble’s first day as captain and added, “Even when he was not a captain, I always knew that he had the capabilities of making an outstanding captain.”

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