The scene of some of his greatest exploits, the Kotla, was also the stage for Anil Kumble to call it quits. Over to Y.B. Sarangi.
The sole script-writer of many an Indian Test victory, Anil Kumble bid adieu to international cricket in a fashion a champion would not have liked.
But, despite his race against time, the man who commanded 18 years of respect in world cricket called it quits gracefully after the third Test between India and Australia at the Ferozeshah Kotla in Delhi.
Kumble knew this would be his last outing at his favourite ground, which has provided some of the finest moments of his life including the ‘Perfect 10’ feat against Pakistan. But even he would not have expected to bow out at the Kotla as the spectators gave a befitting farewell to one of India’s greatest cricketing heroes and the most successful bowler the country has ever had.
He is not one who would grimace, complain and hang on until he is pushed out. So when the finger injury received during the match told him it’s time, Kumble obeyed. However, the fighter in him made it clear that it’s his body and not criticism which forced him to take the call.
“I don’t think I took this decision based on people saying whether I should play or not play. This criticism started 18 years ago, when people said I couldn’t play two Test matches for India. I’ve done pretty well, looking back. I don’t think I am someone who would take a decision based on criticism,” Kumble said.
Be it the tough task of bowling tirelessly to give India Test wins or the valiant broken-jaw performance against the West Indies in the 2002 Antigua match or his heroic swansong at Kotla in which he bowled with a heavily-strapped hand and took a superb catch, in the last two decades Kumble — with 619 scalps in 132 Tests — has been the epitome of commitment in Indian cricket. And now, on his retirement, he wants to be remembered as one who ‘gave his best’ for the team.
“I’d like to be remembered for giving 100 per cent for the team every time I went out there. I definitely put the team above self, right through my career. That’s how I would like to be remembered, as someone who raised the bar for the team. In terms of individual performances, someone to look up to in terms of getting better,” he says.
A medium pacer-turned-legspinner, Kumble remained one of the most sincere students of the game throughout his career, always evolving his game and adding variety to his repertorie even after achieving a certain stature in Test cricket.
Apart from his cricketing feats, Kumble stands out as a thorough gentleman both on and off-the-field. Never to have visited the match referee for any on-field spat, the Bangalore player is equally admired and liked by all his teammates and rivals.
In the words of the Chairman of Selectors and former India captain, K. Srikkanth, Kumble is somebody who is difficult to be replaced. “The way he has conducted himself on and off the field is amazing. He was a leader who led from the front and won so many matches for us. It will be very difficult to replace a guy like Anil Kumble.”
And the opponent camp has also admiration for Kumble, who is only behind two other spinning greats — Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne — in terms of taking Test wickets. “He is a great cricketer and every single player of my team who has played against him is proud of him,” says Australian captain Ricky Ponting.
After Warne’s exit and now with the retirement of the 38-year-old Kumble, the golden era of modern day legspin bowling has finally come to an end.
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