Gentle-giant of Indian Cricket

There is a cliché in cricket, That it is a batsman's game. And how true it is! I am really perplexed by how little the bowlers receive in terms of appreciation, from the authorities, media and even from the fans. Maybe a few flamboyant ones like Murali, Shoaib, Lee, Warne (though I guess he is in the news for reasons other than cricket) get their due in terms of media space, endorsements and in a general sense recognition for their achievements. However its the workmanlike bowlers who tend to lag behind, be it Pollock, Mcgrath, Kumble...the list I guess is endless. This particular phenomenon has pinched me for quite some time now and so decided to write about it. However, in this particular blog I would restrict myself to Anil Kumble - Not my most favourite cricketer (that place will always be reserved for, THE GOD), but surely the cricketer I respect the most.
In a country like India, where the population is fanatic about cricket to say the least, where, the sport is not just a sport but a way of life (Some say its a religion, I say its more than that, there will be another blog on this, i guess...) and where cricketers enjoy the status of demi-gods, its very surprising to see that in most of the discussions Anil Kumble's name is not taken in the same breath as a Sachin, Dravid, Shewag, Yuvraj...Even someone like Dhoni who has recently joined the team has more fan following and more endorsements than Kumble. Not that I am complaining about this, but its something that I just cant figure out...why?There have been two instances on the cricket field which have touched me the most. One was a misty eyed Sachin Tendulkar scoring a century, albeit against Kenya, after a huge personal loss. That the one, which has been quite talked about as well. The other one is about Anil Kumble, playing with a broken jaw, with his face bandaged, just to earn a draw for India. And he bowled relentlessly that day, with the same probing line and length that we have come to accept from him and even got the prized scalp of Brian Lara. My admiration for this guy just skyrocketed from that day.
I have heard people arguing and even making fun of the fact that he doesn’t turn the ball as much as his contemporaries do. But i ask, who cares? He still manages to get wickets. And its not without skill that he has survived in international cricket for a decade and a half and got more than 500 test wickets. We are so very trilled and excited to see to a ball pitching outside the leg and uprooting the off stump, that we fail to realize the importance of a ball pitching of a ball pitching in line, missing the bat and getting an LBW. As it goes down in the books, its just a wicket. The point I would like to make is that, the turn that Kumble extracts or the lack of it shouldn't be used as an excuse to belittle his achievements. After all, bowling consistently, day in day out, with nagging accuracy, with the same line and length is an art in itself, though not an exciting one.
I am intentionally staying away from quoting statistics, because I believe one can manipulate them to suit one's argument. For a team like India, which has always be spoilt by the riches of batting resources, scoring runs has never been a problem., at least in the subcontinent. But to win matches you need to take 20 opposition wickets. Thats's where I guess, this person's true greatness lies. He has single-handedly marshaled India's bowling attack for years now, and has had a major role to play in almost all our victories. Though the batsman end up with all the adulation, media hype and Man of the Match awards, its his contribution which sets apart Victory from a Draw. Also its the failure of the batsman overseas, who don’t give him enough runs to play with, which accounts for our poor overseas record. The 2003-04, Australia tour was a perfect example of what wonders this guy can do, if the batters manage to set a decent score.
I sincerely believe that how you bat, bowl or field can make you great, but to become a legend, a hero, an idol, I think there has to be a clean image, on and off the field. That’s something Kumble has achieved. Never have we seen him criticizing selectors for his exclusion, neither getting involved in any arguments with his team-mates nor any untoward incident with opposition players. Its the respect that you command from your peers which matters the most and Kumble leads the pack in this regard. To some it may seem, it is submissiveness, but to me, it is the true spirit of the game, after all, its not without reason that this game is called "The Gentleman's Game", and Kumble just epitomizes this spirit.
I genuinely think that you realize the importance of people when they have left the scene. The of loss Sachin, Dravid and co. as and when they retire will be felt, but a large extent of it will be made up by people like Shewag, Yuvraj, Dhoni etc. but what I am most worried about is the fate of Indian bowling attack in the absence of Kumble. He'll probably retire in a couple of years and unless we find an understudy to him and develop him to carry on Kumble's legacy we may again become a struggling side. In any case, our bowling attack would be orphaned without him.But then thats life, and thats cricket, because cricket is life. So lets appreciate and celebrate his achievements as long as he is performing (thats the least we can do as a mark of respect for this guy).
Long live JUMBO!!!PS: plsss, if somebody is listening, have him in the WC'07 team.....plsssss