Saying goodbye to a genius

Yesterday this time I was struggling to find the right words to express my disappointment about the game. Today, I am in shock! Not because of the match (no surprises there) but because one of the greatest players of this Indian side has decided to call it quits.

And Anil Kumble announced his retirement in much the way he has gone about his game in the last 18 years - quiet, dignified and determined. Its not so much the surprise that Kumble called it quits. If you think about it, it was only a matter of time before he announced his retirement, nor is it surprising that he did it mid-series, epsecially considering his injury and numerous stitches. What jolts me as a cricket fan is the realisation that this afternoon is the last time I will see one of India's finest bowlers grace the cricketing field. This will be the last time I will see Jumbo beat batsmen with his googly or catch them off guard with a wrong one.

I wanted this to sound like a tribute but I doubt I'll be able to do it justice. How do you go about summarising nearly two decades of a genius at work? I could use a whole lot of superlatives and throw in all the cliches like great, genius, irreplacable, etc (some of which I have used already) and it'll all be true but Kumble was more than all that. He is and will remain India's most dedicated, most determined and absolutely professional cricketer, not to mention the finest bowler of this Indian side (certainly the most successful one).

His retirement is yet another testament of his commitment to his game as well as his team. He quit when he knew he could do it with dignity, do it on his own terms and at a time when he knew he would be giving the reins of captaincy to an able successor. You wouldn't expect anything less from a player who never let up, one who would risk bowling with a broken jaw to keep his end of the bargain.

And this farewell, though hurried, is nevertheless fitting because it's at the Kotla that Kumble carved his name in the hall of fame as only the second bowler ever to take 10 wickets in an inning, made all the more sweet as it came against Pakistan. And he can retire in peace knowing he's made records which are in all probability never going to be broken.

I thought writing this teary-eyed blog would help me come to terms with the fact that Kumble has indeed made his last appearance in an international match. If anything, it only makes me remember countless moments - be it his ten-wicket haul, his various milestones of 00, 500 and recently 600, his scrappy partnership with Javagal Srinath in the India-Aus match in B'lore or his much prized century - I could go on and on.

He was quiet, dignified, gifted, dedicated, committed, competitive and most importantly priceless! Who says no one is indispensable - India's just short of one now. It's heart-breaking to say goodbye to this genius. I know for a fact that it going to take me a while to get used to an Indian line-up that doesn't include Anil Kumble.

Kotla batting fest

At tea on the second day of the ongoing test match between India & Australia anyone would have assumed this match to be a cakewalk for India. With 550 runs on the board and VVS Laxman looking on 160, it was clear that India was planning on batting only once on the Kotla wicket. Yet here we are on day 4 with Australia not only avoiding the follow-on but also looking to bridge the 200-run gap and quickly too. This match is one battinng fest - 4 days, about a thousand runs scored and only 13 wickets taken so far in the match. All this on a pitch that's supposed to favour spin bowling. Talk about ironic!

So what went wrong? Australia batted beautifully, no doubt about that and it didn't help that Kumble was out of the field more than on it and when he did come, he was nursing a nasty injury. But what made the difference was that even with the pitch deteriorating and the ball spinning wildly, India lacked the killer instinct. Was it missing intensity or lack of ideas, there just wasn't a moment in this match where India could take quick wickets.

A couple of days back, it was so easy to say that this match will only have two outcomes - a draw or a win for India. Now, however, it's anybody's game. The odd thing is, India didn't even bowl too poorly. Although yes, there were a few half chances, especially Clarke's lofted shot that just grazed the top of Ishant Sharma's hand. Clarke was on 21 at that time. Perhaps, the score would be much different if India had got him then. Well we'll never know will we?

The upshot of all this is that it has been an interesting test match although as an Indian fan, I was rather hoping India had wrapped this match up (with an innings defeat if possible). Now, unless India manage a miraculous victory out of this, this will be remembered as an australian victory (even if they draw the game). We'll have to wait and see how this match affects the game of the two teams in the next test. This was supposed to be the decider - looks like this one's just a prelude. I think I'd better stay tuned in - the best is certainly yet to come!