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500 and still going strong

Anil Kumble is now in the elite 500 Test wickets club. And there's surely more to come from the ace leg-spinner known for his perseverance and patience

POP THE CHAMPAGNE A journey that began with Allan Lamb's scalp is chugging along nicely for Anil Kumble Photo: R. Ragu

His jaw once got broken in the West Indies. He winced, bandaged it and went out to bowl till the team and the support staff forced him to fly back to India. Critics said he doesn't prodigiously spin the ball like Shane Warne. He shrugged his shoulders and kept bowling India to victories in the last 16 years.

It is a point that is often lost in the clamour that Warne churned up after his leg-break bowled Mike Gatting around his legs. And it also doesn't help that in a nation obsessed with batsmen, a man answering to the name Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar remains the lodestone.

Giant shadow

But Anil Kumble — a mix of perseverance and patience — does cast a giant shadow. Recently skipper Rahul Dravid mentioned in an interview: "There can be no greater cricketer than Anil, considering the number of matches he has won for us and if he can be dropped, I guess the same holds true for either me or even Sachin."

The accolades are still pouring in, but for people who know him well, wicket number 500 is an expected milestone. State physio Ramakant knows Kumble from close quarters. He has also seen the genial leggie at his most vulnerable state. A few years ago, Kumble had returned from his shoulder surgery. Stray thoughts of despair had flitted past Kumble's eyebrows.

"There were times when I was wondering whether I can bowl again," Kumble had told Metroplus then. But egged on by his family and backed by Ramakant's expertise, Kumble fought his way back.

Great spirit

Steve Harmison's wicket might be etched into the record books and the Mohali Test may well go down as another "perfect-day-in-the-office" in the Kumble diaries. But the latest upswing in Kumble's fortunes started after he recovered from the surgery.

"I am still very intense on the field but at the same time, after the surgery, I started to enjoy my bowling as well, not that I didn't enjoy it before but surely I was a bit more relaxed. And it helped. Also remember whenever we travelled abroad, we didn't have enough runs on the board, but of late, our batsmen have piled on the runs and that adds strength to our efforts," Kumble had said two years ago after India's series in Australia. Fatherhood has also been a stress-buster. Kumble relishes his moments with his daughter and infant son. Last year, Dravid, in a magazine article, had mentioned about this cool daddy after observing Kumble's demeanour while holding his son in the dressing room.

A Kumble changing nappies sounds good. But that does not mean you can misfield in the deep and then flash a sheepish grin! "It is better to stay away in case you misfield of Anil's bowling. He will burn you with his glares!" says a State cricketer,

Kumble's governing philosophy in cricket has been, "As a bowler, you should always have that `want' to hold the ball and keep bowling consistently irrespective of issues like pitch, weather and rival batsmen. That is the only way to progress," Kumble said. It is this burning desire to excel that powers India's highest wicket-taker and the fifth member in that elusive 500 Test Wickets club.

And it is this unflinching belief in his ability that helped him get past that testing phase when the team management strangely made him a mere passenger during the last World Cup at South Africa in 2003. Those days are behind him. And as a former great points out: "Anil is only getting better with each passing day."

Looks like there is a need for more champagne bottles and spare statistical books! A journey that began with Allan Lamb's scalp is chugging along nicely.

K.C. VIJAYA KUMAR

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