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Cricket’s Cinderella Man

At a time of great social change when value systems have to be recalibrated, those who set standards can make a real contribution. There can be few better role models than Anil Kumble for young Indians as they cope with the challenges of a world in which protective walls are being torn down rapidly. He stands out not merely as a bona fide member of a trinity that occupies a unique, perhaps unassailable, position in the history of Test cricket. The iron-willed spinner is un ique when compared with even his great peers because the 600-odd wickets he has captured over 17 years of toil are a monument to character as much as to skill. Kumble was not blessed with an inborn genius of the kind that enabled Shane Warne or Muthiah Muralitharan to become a bowler of far more mesmerising quality. Unlike the Australian and the Sri Lankan who could produce deliveries that seemed to defy the laws of physics, the Indian has perhaps never dismissed a batsman with a magic ball. The high swooping right arm and wrist lack the flexibility to make the cherry deviate more than a few inches from its trajectory. What makes Kumble special is that he has always striven to extract the maximum from limited natural resources. The Indian Test captain has earned his iconic status by consistently demonstrating the power of the mind.

It would have been counted as an accomplishment had Kumble merely embodied the qualities Indian parents have traditionally striven to inculcate in their children — a solid work ethic, honesty, perseverance, and modesty. The Bangalorean’s achievement in terms of character development is all the more laudable because he has gone beyond being just a recipient of wisdom; he has injected his own dynamics into the process and contributed another dimension to the ideal. Whether his self-belief became rock hard because he was always the Cinderella Man among Indian cricket’s superstars is a question only he can answer. What is material is that Kumble has applied this quality to the cause of team and country. His willingness to lead from the front in the face of adversity was on display in the fortnight following the defeat at Sydney. While there was more than a touch of hype about the Bollyline affair, the time had certainly come for someone to speak out against Aussie hyper-gamesmanship. The Indian captain was the man for the occasion since his integrity has won him the respect of all professional cricketers. Kumble’s role in resuscitating the spirit of the game was as commendable as the leadership with which he took his men to victory at the WACA.

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