When one thinks of spin bowling, the two names that immediately come to mind are Shane Warne and Muthiah Muralidharan. They have conquered such great heights that no third name comes in mind. But there is another man, who has quietly been filling his bag. The man is Anil Kumble.
Jumbo recently bagged his 600th wicket!!! Not many would have expected that he will cross even 500. When the whole world was busy looking at Murali and Warne, Anil was covering milestones after milestones with stealthy footsteps. He is a quiet person, he has been far from controversies (unlike Murali) and he is anything but a showman (Unlike Warne). There is no glamour attached to his personality and so not many noticed his approach towards the milestone.
He comes across as a person with a strong mind and high determination. Nobody can forget the sight of Kumble bowling in West Indies with a broken jaw. Probably, captaincy came to him pretty late in the day. He is a man of few words but he is definitely a character whom young cricketers can look upto.
In the press conference after the second test match at Sydney, Kumble showed the world that he is a no-nonsense person. In his deep voice he said "Only one team played in the spirit of the game". That was unlike the Kumble that we have all known but that is what the situation demanded....and like always in his illustrious 17 year career, he stood up to the situation. Thats the way to go Jumbo!!!
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