India's greatest bowler

It is now obvious to most Indian cricket fans that whenever India wins a Test match, Rahul Dravid has contributed with a big score. What is often overlooked is Anil Kumble’s role in the rise of the Indian Test team. He is by far India’s greatest bowler and it will be a long time before somebody can even come close to what Anil Kumble has done for India. The match looked like it was headed for a rain curtailed draw before Anil Kumble stepped up with another tour de force.

His strength of purpose was what brought India back into the match when he cleaned up the England lower order in the first innings with the last three wickets falling at the score of 300. India’s first innings saw Harmison and Flintoff let slip the dogs of war as they pounded into the Indian batting line up with fearsome display of hostile fast bowling. Only Rahul Dravid was able to resist the attack, with Harmison in particular bowling throat balls at an incredible pace. Kumble hung in there taking body blows and building valuable partnerships with Pathan and Harbahajan that sneaked India past England’s total and to a priceless 38 run lead.

A draw? Kumble was having none of that, the champion could smell a win. He wasn’t done yet; with the ball in his hand he was a man on mission as he snaffled three top order wickets in the last session of the fourth day. England were staring down the barrel with only Flintoff and Jones remaining as last of the recognized batsmen on the fifth day. As they prepared to withstand the Kumble assault on the final morning, they forgot about the ambitious young Indian fast bowler Munaf Patel. Munaf produced a scorcher of a short ball in his first over that surprised Jones and clattered onto the stumps off his bat. He then bowled sharp reverse swinging yorkers at will to claim two more wickets. Kumble only had to get one on the fifth day, as Dhoni pulled off a lightning quick stumping down the leg side to cap off a great match behind the stumps. Rahul Dravid ensured that India had no trouble chasing 144 and he even outscored Sehwag who was extremely watchful. It was quite a sight to watch Sehwag, obviously inspired by the way Dravid values his wicket, tread cautiously against Harmison, Flintoff and Hoggard until the match was in the bag. After which, of course, he exploded against Plunkett and Collingwood to quickly go past Dravid. Sehwag’s feat can only be appreciated when it is put in the context that it was only his third second innings fifty in 44 matches. Could he be changing? Remarkable.

The score card says India beat England by 9 wickets in about 3 days of cricket. It looks like an easy win, but without the burning desire of a champion it would have never happened. This is the man who once bowled with a broken jaw, as he believed he had a job to do for his team. He is nicknamed Jumbo for his ability to get bounce, but it could well have been for his spirit. Steve Waugh once remarked that Kumble is always at you, never allowing a moment to relax; this tenacity coupled with the new variations in his bowling has made him an even better bowler in his thirties. Let us salute Anil Kumble, India’s greatest bowler.