You analysis is pretty good. Just that your statement of kumble being a below average fielder is wrong. Kumble has always been a good fielder. I have never seen him drop catches, unlike much hyped fielder laxman !!!
Agreed Kumble is an ignored champion, but some of the reasons you give are just plain wrong. Did you ever think that there is a chance that Kumble chose to be lowkey? When some of the great cricketers were busy opening cola bottles, some crying haplessly on TV, and some getting import duty waived, Kumble was minding his own business, literally. It is absurd that you make such statements. Kumble would have made a fine captain. He has led Karnataka to great victories. It is called leading by example, if 434 wickets in 90 tests and 'never give up' attitude does not ispire an intl cricketer and then he shouldn't be playing cricket. It is only fair to expect 100% from your fielders. By what you have said Ganguly cannot expect anyone to field well, Gavaskar cannot expect anyone to bowl well. Your logic is twisted at best. Has Ganguly impressed you with the "analysis of opposition"? Kumble was the VC of the team when Ganguly was named Captain. Kumble was touted as the next Captain. Soon after that he was out of the team. So much for "analysis of opposition". "Kumble is a weak marketer" How did u figure this one? He has spareheaded the contract system and got the bullheaded BCCI to agree.
First :I do respect the work AK has done for India. But I would like to know how many times Kapil got the wicket tailor made for him like Kumble did ? I don't have any objection Kumble getting spinner friendly wickets as every country does have right to prepare wickets that suit their bowlers, but still do you relly think AK would have got so many wickets in the earlier stage of his career, (I vaguely remember him cutting through English line up on wickets tailor made for him) if he had to bowl on neutral wickets? It took him almost 10 years to be effective on foreign soil. (When he managed to get wkts in Aus last season.) Same thing for HB Singh. I don't think he can claim greatness until he starts getting wkts by heaps on unfriendly wkts. Another thing is that as you compared strike rates of contemporary spinners and speedsters, did you bother to take into account the fact that the batsmen worldwide are less adept at facing spinners as compared to speedsters? Don't you think that makes spinner's job that much easier? I am not saying Kapil is greater bowler but I don't think you can come to conclusion that AK id better than Kapil based on selective stats. ..Parag
Hi, One thing that we should understand is any cricketer will play in his country for about 50% of his matches. The remaining 50% of the matches will only be played outside his country. In this 50%, if we consider India almost all the pitches are going to support spin bowling than pace bowling. Apart from this if we touring countries in the Sub-continent we will similar spin tracks.
Keeping all this in mind an Indian player plays his 60% t0 65% of his matches in spin favourable pitches.
When we are comparing Kumble with Kapil Dev in the Bowling Department, Kumble is having this advantage whereas Kapil is not having this advantage.
If Kapil Dev would have born in Australia/West Indies/New Zealand he would picked up more than 750 wickets(this was also told by Sir Richard Hadlee when Kapil had broken Hadlee's record).
But still Kumble had not finished I think he is going to something beyond 500 wickets.
He is an asset for Indian cricket.
He is match winner for India for the past 10 to 12 years.
So we can consider as a great Bowler India had ever produced along with Kapil as for as Bowling is concerned.
This article is an absolute eye opener. I completely agree that Kumble is one of our all time great players. A person known for his hard work and dedication to the game. He has my vote as one of Indias all time great players. That he does not get the same kind of recognition as a Tendukar or Kapil should also be attributed to the role played by the establishment, media and the sponsors. Kumble has become the joint highest wicket taker for India and what was the media glare on the event. At the same time if a Tendulkar makes the most number of hundreds every one will be trying to out do the other in facilitating him. I will blame the board for this difference they have not done their bit in recognising and promoting the achievement of Kumble. He is one hell of a decicated cricketer and in my books an all time great of Indian cricket.
dear writer kumble is great bowler,no one in the world can forget his achivment in taking all TEN wickets in a match that too against pakistan who r good players against spinners
A superb writing, and dear author, mark my words, Sachin, Kapil & Gavaskar may be hero of today's gneneration or the next one, but when we reach third generation, Kumble will be a bigger hero than all of these (if he takes 535 wickets before he retires.) ones, Sachin can keep him at no. 2 if Sachin takes 250 wickets, 50 one day hundreds and 50 test hundreds, (I expect this from him seriously, when he gets retired at age of 40..... why not?)
Kapil Dev has played most of his matches in India and so did Kumble, where, we all know, the pitches offer assistance to spinners. So, there is no point in trying to compare Kapil against any indian spinner.
It would have been nice to see some comparison between those two on their performance abroad.
In my opinion, Kapil would have taken more wickets than Walsh had he played for West Indies/ Australia/ England/ South Africa, where as, Kumble wouldn't have played more than 15 tests for any of those countries.
So, I wouldn't try to improve the status of Anil Kumble from what he already has.
The biggest blunder the author has committed while comparing Kumble and Kapil is that Kumble is a spinner and indian wickets favour spinners! So a medium pacer like Kapil taking wickets on indian pitches should be rated way above wickets taken by a spinner.
I would say all the wickets that Kumble took in india were on doctored pitches that assist spinners.
