© CricInfo |
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© CricInfo |
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© CricInfo |
A marauder at home
Anil Kumble is back with a bang, taking wickets in plenty and helping
India win as he has done over so many years. Kumble has been the
spearhead of the Indian bowling for a long while now; he has also been
fighting a shoulder injury, which kept him out of action for more than a
year. He made his comeback to international cricket in South Africa and
did not have much success.
Kumble is a different bowler in India, where the pitch offers him some
help. India took on England at Mohali in the first Test, and Kumble had
his big opportunity to revive his Test career. On a greenish pitch that
offered little assistance, Kumble finished with the figures of 19-6-52-2
in the first innings. By the close of the first day's play, he was also
sent in as night-watchman after the fall of the first wicket; he held on
bravely and, on the second morning, applied himself well to make 37 runs
off 86 balls. Kumble's defiant knock included half a dozen boundaries
and, along with Deep Dasgupta, added 53 runs for the second wicket.
The pro was at his lethal best in the England second innings, though,
destroying the batting with figures of 28.4-6-81-6, spurring India to a
10-wicket win. His prized scalps included that of Nasser Hussain, Mark
Ramprakash, Graham Thorpe and Andrew Flintoff. It was Kumble's 17th
five-wicket haul in Test cricket and a match-winning one at that; there
were no other contenders for the Man of the Match award. The interesting
point to note is that Kumble has added a new weapon to his arsenal: the
googly that bounces more. Most of the English batsmen had trouble in
picking this new delivery, which left them virtually bamboozled.
After the success at Mohali, Kumble performed an encore, rocking England
at Motera in Ahmedabad. On the first day of the second Test, Kumble
snuffed out the first five English wickets. He went on to pick two more
to finish with the figures of 51-13-115-7 in the first innings. It was
truly a remarkable performance by the leg-spinner, given the fact that
Harbhajan Singh was not having a good time with the ball. Kumble's
marathon spells have also assured his fans that he is completely fit and
that he is one bowler who can still be relied upon.
Kumble now has 18 five-wicket hauls in Test cricket and is on 296 Test
wickets. He might well achieve the magical 300 mark in the English
second innings at Motera, but his feats so far this series have been
enough to ensure him of our Player of the Fortnight honour.
Inside Stuff
The "management" of Kumble's shoulder: [More]
Kumble v Chandra - a comparison: [More]
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Celebrity Articles
Partab Ramchand on Kumble's strike role: [More]
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Milestones
The Mohali Test: [Scorecard]
Kumble's 10-wicket haul: [Scorecard]
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