Like those topspinners and googlies that he bowled for 18 years, Anil Kumble’s decision to quit international cricket was a bolt from the blue. I doubt even those closest to him had an inkling though considering his age and fading prowess, the retirement was not a huge surprise, even if the timing and the suddenness were. In any case, Kumble received the kind of sendoff from his team-mates that at once reflected the high esteem in which he was held.
It is tempting to use clichés like “an end of an era” in offering tributes and salutations to such a worthy man who was a human being first and cricketer next. Perhaps, that was the reason why Kumble did not receive the kind of adulation and recognition that he so richly deserved. As he pointed out during his post-match media conference at the Kotla, throughout his career, detractors hounded him, questioning his ability to spin or turn the ball while conveniently glossing over his special talent to take wickets.
Kumble Special: Saluting a true legend
I always believed (and it would take a lot to convince me otherwise) that India, by and large, does not know how to look after or treat a true champion. It is as if we as a nation cannot come to terms with the fact that we have world-class sportspersons in our midst. It was no different with Kumble who toiled in his inimitable quiet and no-nonsense manner while allowing his bowling to do all the talking.
Jumbo Talk: Kumble on India under Dhoni and life after cricket | Will you miss him? Also, being a bowler in a batsman-oriented sport, those 35 five-fors and eight 10-fors were not equated to a century or a double hundred nor are those feats celebrated unlike in the case of a batsman. I would say that Kumble was a Tendulkar in his own rights. As is with Tendulkar whose contributions to Indian cricket are solely (and unfairly) judged on the number of matches he won for the team, so it was with Kumble. Time and again, the affable Bangalorean had to put up with uncharitable questions about his performance, and it grew into a crescendo in the recent months when he struggled to take wickets. Under the circumstances and with the body not obeying the mind, not to mention injuries, Kumble must have realised that his time was up.
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It is a pity that Kumble was denied of a fairytale parting at the Kotla where an Indian victory would have been a fitting parting gift from his mates among whom Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman must be contemplating their future with Ganguly also making way at the end of the current series.
The great man’s retirement signals the start of a transitional period in Indian cricket with the baton being passed to Dhoni and a bunch of young, eager and enthusiastic players. For sure, Kumble has left a legacy for Dhoni to inherit and it is to be hoped that the stumper will prove to be a worthy successor.
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