For those who know that India's star leg-spinner Anil Kumble can also bat, and bat really well when the mood seizes him, his 110 not out batting at No 8 in the third and final Test against England at The Oval may not have come as a huge surprise. Rather, it is a bit of a puzzle why it took him so long to essay his maiden hundred in the heavyweight division of cricket.
By his own admission, Kumble has "full confidence" in his batting ability. He takes his batting very seriously and hates to be described as a tail-ender. Why, he had even promised his friends and team-mates to score at least one Test century before calling it a day. Better late than never, as they say.
Of course, he came agonisingly close to one when he scored 88 (168 minutes, 124 balls, 13 fours) in the first innings of the second Test against South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata way back in 1996-97. It was against the likes of Allan Donald, Lance Klusener, Brian McMillan, Hansie Cronje, Paul Adams and Pat Symcox.
He was the only Indian after Mohammad Azharuddin (109) to handle the South Africans quicks and spinners with some degree of confidence. Kumble looked certain to complete what would have been a brilliant hundred but was last dismissed, run-out by Herschelle Gibbs.
In the second innings, too, Kumble batted bravely against a rampaging Klusener (8 for 64) and scored 17 runs in 48 minutes off two balls. He was the fourth highest scorer in India's dismal total of 137. That India still lost the Test by a whopping margin of 329 runs was a different matter altogether.
A highly reliable batsman down the order, Kumble has played many a crucial little innings during his illustrious Test career and often saved India from the jaws of humiliation.
As recently as last year, his defiant 58 and a 128-run stand with Mohammad Kaif in the first Test against England at Nagpur proved vital in the final analysis as India managed to draw a closely-contested game. He showed a lot of character in facing the brutally hostile Matthew Hoggard, Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff in helpful conditions.
On the subsequent tour of the West Indies, his 43 in the first innings and his important partnership with VVS Laxman in the thirst Test at St Kitts enabled India to avoid the follow-on after the hosts had scored 581. Equally valuable was his 45 in the first innings of the fourth Test at Kingston. It proved decisive in the end as India went on to win by 49 runs.
Tall and upright, Kumble makes maximum use of his height, broad shoulders and long arms when batting. He has no pretensions to be a cultured or a refined batsman with a compact technique and swift footwork. Far from it. He knows his limitations and always tries to play within them.
"When the situation is grim and Kumble is at the wicket, there is always hope in the Indian camp. You can always bank on him for useful contribution in crisis. His batting may not attract you but you have to admit that he has what it takes to stay at the wicket in any situation," says Indian captain Rahul Dravid.
The right-handed Kumble does not have a rich repertoire of shots, but he drives the ball on either side of the wicket with the confidence of a man who knows his powers. Though he plays the pull almost perfectly, he relishes executing his favourite cover-drive on the knees.
Being a confident batsman, Kumble is capable of both offering a dour defence and attacking the bowlers ferociously.
Like most lower-order batsmen, Kumble also loves playing spinners. He does not, however, lack in courage and confidence when it comes to facing fast bowlers. But unlike most of his tribe, he does not believe in hitting every ball that he faces. Rather he tries to treat each delivery on its merit and plays according to the prevailing situation.
At 36, he may be the oldest Indian to score a Test hundred, but there is no doubt about his zeal for batting even at this age despite being principally a bowler. Every time he is at the wicket, there is a marked seriousness in his eyes and approach, as if he were out there to prove something with the bat.
Rather than calling Kumble a tail-ender, it would be more appropriate to hail him a bowling all-rounder, one who is talented enough to frustrate the best of bowlers when armed with the willow. If you look at his statistics, Kumble has never been a rabbit with the bat.
Before his exploit at The Oval, he had scored 2,094 runs in 117 Tests and 150 innings, including 4 half centuries. Both his average, 17.16, and strike rate, 38.38, must be considered fair enough because batting is not his main job. Kumble has six centuries (highest being 154 not out) and 16 fifties to his credit in first-class cricket. His average 21.97, and strike rate, 61.06, are not less impressive.
This gentle giant, befittingly called 'Jumbo' by friends and fans alike, fully deserves every accolade, every encomium and every toast that is being showered on him for his remarkable achievement with the bat at The Oval. No one should feel surprised, now, if Kumble hits a couple of more centuries, which he is quite likely, in the rest of his already eventful Test career.
