Time for Kumble to stand up and be counted

Picture this: It is a hot sunny day... the second day of a Test match in India. Anil Kumble runs into bowl… his action characterized by his trademark gallop. The batsman is a picture of nervousness. The pitch… a dust bowl. Anil Kumble releases the ball… it traces a beautiful trajectory… the loop is obvious… all aerial geometry. It hits a spot around “good length” and rips off the wicket… like a spitting cobra. The hapless batsman has no clue of what is happening. He tries to fend it off using all his technique and skill… but his best is inadequate. The ball hits his glove and loops up in the air… the fielder at short leg could not have had an easier “chance”. He gobbles it, showing great delight. Anil Kumble is elated… he jumps with joy… and the other men in their white flannels join in the celebration. Another wicket for Anil Kumble… another clueless batsman.

Picture this: It is a hot sunny day… the second day of a Test match abroad. Anil Kumble runs into bowl. The batsman is a picture of confidence. The pitch shows no sign of any wear and tear. Anil Kumble releases the ball… its trajectory very flat... sliding more towards middle and leg. The batsman plants his front foot forward... having all assurance of loyalty from the pitch. He plays it to mid-wicket… the short leg having failed to make a stop… his dive in vain. An easy single is taken. Anil Kumble seems tired… his body language radiating diffidence.

These are contrasting, but, sadly, true pictures of India’s premier spin bowler. Statistically, he seems to have done well for a leg-spin bowler with over 300 Test wickets to his credit. However, when one takes a closer look at his Home-Away performances, the figures are disappointing. He averages almost 40 runs per wicket on foreign pitches compared to his amazing 21 runs per wicket at home. Kumble’s impotency abroad coupled with the technical incompetence of the Indian batsmen has been a major factor for our dismal performance abroad.

Anil Kumble was never a big turner of the ball. His main strength, over the years, has been the disconcerting bounce that he extracts from the wicket coupled with an amazing degree of accuracy. He has a potent top spinner and a googly, which he has recently developed. This is fine for Indian conditions, but his lack of variety and genuine leg spin has not helped matters when playing abroad. Many similarities have been drawn between Anil Kumble and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar. Chandra was the faster of the two; indeed at times, he was the fastest bowler in the side! His stock ball was the top-spinner that fizzed through. He also bowled the googly and he bowled the leg break rather infrequently for a leg spinner. He derived a lot of bounce because of his additional pace and his high arm action. Ray Illingworth once said that he bowled a quicker one that was a genuine bouncer. Chandra was a freak… he had this uncanny ability to come up with the unexpected and yes, it was very difficult to read him. Not many in world cricket have conquered Viv Richards as Chandra did with all his guile and deception.

The South Africans first discovered Kumble’s shortcomings in variety. Under Bob Woolmer's tutelage, they began to play him as an inswing bowler. This tactic worked and Kumble started drifting further down the leg side. Moreover, Kumble has always struggled against southpaws like Saeed Anwar and Sanath Jayasurya. Thus, the cricketing fraternity began to unravel the mysteries of Kumble's craft.

During India’s last tour Down Under, Michael Salter openly proclaimed that he would counter Anil Kumble as a medium pace bowler who drifts inwards. Ricky Ponting echoed similar sentiments. Kumble fared abysmally during the course of that ill-fated tour.

Kumble did show some promise during India’s tour of South Africa in 1992-93. His performance for Northampton was brilliant, he being the only spinner to top 100 wickets. However, he flattered only to deceive. He failed to reproduce his magic against England in 1996. By 1997, though he had a couple at five-wicket hauls at Kingston and Port-of-Spain in the West Indies, the international batsmen treated him as a medium pacer.

Kumble is aware of this. In a recent interview, he said that he was aware of his dismal record overseas and that he was trying hard to get over it. However, he adds that, he sees himself more as a support bowler to the seamers when touring abroad. This, in my personal opinion, is counterproductive. Psychologically, he seems resigned to the fact that on alien conditions he cannot perform appreciably well. He adopts a defensive role, which becomes obvious with deliveries with flatter trajectories at a faster pace.

Shane Warne went on record saying that he was content playing a secondary role to the likes of McGrath and Lee. However, once on the field he was his usual self… attacking the batsman all the time. Would Sri Lanka ever win away if Murali thinks along the lines of Anil Kumble? True, Warne and Murali are great turners of the ball and are blessed with variety that would put a magician to shame. This is where Anil Kumble’s accuracy comes into play. He has the ability to bowl tirelessly in the same spot all day… but with a defensive frame of mind, he strays down leg side and becomes easy meat.

To become a true practitioner of one's craft, one has to perform adequately abroad. However, today Anil Kumble is more of a restrictive bowler in Tests abroad and it is only on tailor-made Indian wickets that he turns on the heat as a destructive force. Unfortunately, as the years have progressed, his accuracy has eroded and his body language is not the same. He tries hard and more often than not, it seems as if he is desperate to prove a point or two to his detractors when playing abroad.

Four days have passed in the first Test in Guyana and Anil Kumble has just two wickets to his credit in 45-odd overs. Anil Kumble must perform abroad or make way for another deserving player. Horses for courses should be the order of the day. It is time for Anil Kumble to stand up and be counted.

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Mail Ganesh Krishnamurthy