Mumbai: Paying rich tribute to Sachin Tendulkar, former skipper Anil Kumble today said the retiring great was a "natural spinner" and he sometimes threatened his place as a bowler in the team.
The 40-year-old cricketer from Mumbai is set to play his 200th and final Test match at Wankhede Stadium from tomorrow when India takes on West Indies in the second Test.
"I have played 132 Tests with Sachin. I never threatened Sachin's place in the team as a batsman but he sometimes threatened mine as a bowler. He was a natural spinner of the ball," said Kumble while delivering the second Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi Memorial lecture here.
Sachin Tendulkar has spanned three generations of cricketers and fired the dreams of a billion Indians, said Anil Kumble, a proud owner of 619 Test wickets.
Talking about the challenges ahead, Kumble suggested separate seasons for separate formats and said it will help allow cricketers to prepare for the physical and mental demands of each format.
"With the Test championship slated for 2017, all Test playing nations have an obligation to play a certain number of matches home and away. Home countries have television obligations. While we rejoice in the commercial success of the sports, I feel there is an urgent need to adapt to the changing times," Kumble said.
"In a consumer driven market where the paying spectator and TV determine the commercial viability of all forms of entertainment, it is important to strike a balance. The challenge of maintaining tradition while we adapt to the modern demand of cricket are proving to be complex," Kumble said.
"It may be practical to step away from the unimaginative approach of packing every single series with a couple of Test Mathe's, a few ODIs, followed by a couple of Twenty over games and instead curving out separate calender for each format.
Kumble said India should take the lead in this too as they have done in the Indian Permier League.
"Three different seasons to accommodate three different formats is easily conceivable and here too India can lead the chance like they done with the IPL. Specific season for specific formats will provide clarity for the spectators and allow the players to prepare for the physical and mental demands of each format," he said.
"A good analogy could be the tennis season which moves from surface to surface, hard court, clay, grass and indoors. A staggered season will enable the spread cricket to new territories, allow better planning," he added.
Kumble opened his address, remembering how he was written off as a spinner by Pataudi, one of India's most famous and knowledgeable skippers.
"At best, he was a restrictive bowler," Pataudi had opined about Kumble. Kumble said: "After 619 wickets later, it's my misfortune that I cannot confront him. Had I done so, he would have had a great laugh."
"Pataudi was acutely aware of perception. He was in some ways an Englishman but he had an indian heart. He was the first Indian to lead India. He was a management guru, he understand the meaning of symbolism. Pataudi had the balance right and has been the beacon of Indian captain since."
India became a sporting nation in the last decade: Kumble
India became a sporting nation in the last decade: Kumble
Mumbai: Spin legend Anil Kumble today said India became a sporting nation only in the last decade and other sports should take a cue from cricket as to how to market the game in the nook and corner of the country.
Kumble said not just cricket, but the success of athletes in other sports have helped India become a sporting nation. "For years, we thought we are a sporting nation but we had little to show. In the last decade, India's sporting success has changed all that," Kumble said while giving the MAK Pataudi Lecture here.
"The improved performances at Commonwealth Games, London Olympics and world tournaments by chess, billiards, snooker badminton and tennis players are evidence of the improved progress that we have made," he said.
The leg-spinning great, however, said other sporting federations should follow in the foot steps of BCCI in promoting their respective games. "Other sports can take a cue from cricket too. A generation ago, if anybody had suggested that a player from Ranchi would lead India one day, he would have been laughed at," Kumble said referring to India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
"The game has spread across the country, taking in areas like Rai Bareli, Baruch which had little connection to the game. The reason is simple, the infrastructure is now available and so too coaching and inceptive. We owe to our youngsters to provide them with facilities," he said.
During the lecture, Kumble also recalled the sarcastic comment which Pataudi had once made about him at the beginning of his international career.
"In 1990 as a teenager I took my first step in cricket and was eager for some kind words in the cricketing world and I then I came across a comment from an accomplished Indian cricket. I quote 'This lad I don't see him winning Test match for India either at home or abroad. He rarely turns the ball, at best he can be restrictive'. The assessment came from Mr Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. Two decades of international cricket and 619 Test wicket later, it is indeed a great honour to address this lecture," Kumble said.
"It was my misfortune to confront Mr Pataudi on his comment. I am confident that he would have had a good laugh if I had done so. He had a good sense of humour. He is capable of taking a joke on himself. In cricket, perceiving is believing."
"The first question that I was asked on my post retirement was how does it feel to finish with 619 wickets without spinning the ball. I said it is nice that it took 18 years to realise that," Kumble said.
Kumble also had words of appreciation for Pataudi and his contribution to Indian cricket. "Pataudi was acutely aware of perception. He was in some ways an Englishman but he had an Indian heart. He was the first Indian to lead India. He was a management guru, he understood the meaning of symbolism. Pataudi had the balance right and has been the beacon of Indian captain since," he said.
"He made it seem cricket is an easy game because he could play the best bowlers with just one eye." Kumble said he was proud to have played a key role in contributing to Indian cricket' success over the years.
"India cricket team realised its number one status, we won the Twenty20 World Cup, The 50-over World Cup and the Champions Trophy. I am proud to be a part of the core group that laid the foundation," he said.
