By Ashis Ray, IANS
The Oval (London) : At the customary eve-of-Test Indian team meeting on Wednesday, Anil Kumble impressed upon his colleagues that it was about time one of the specialist batsman got a hundred – a feat that had eluded them at Lord’s and Trent Bridge. When Dinesh Karthik and Mahendra Dhoni in this test joined Sachin Tendulkar (in the previous match) to get out in the 90s, the Bangalore battler simply went and did it himself!
As he dabbed down on a delivery that beat the wicket-keeper to speed away to the fine thirdman hoardings, Kumble was in uncharted territory. A maiden hundred at the highest level, that, too, at the oldest test ground in England. Delirious with delight, he raised his bat to acknowledge the applause from his dressing room, but forgot to strip off his helmet. He, then, rectified this to soak in the thunderous cheers from the crowd and bask in his moment of unfamiliar glory.
Perhaps, nothing can singularly compare to the Karnataka strangler’s haul of 10 wickets in an innings against Pakistan at Delhi. But for one who is relatively unaccustomed to laurels with the willow – though he has rarely sold his wicket cheap – he visibly derived immense satisfaction from his accomplishment on Friday.
Kumble made his test debut in England in 1990. At 36, he is possibly making his farewell international appearance in England, birthplace of cricket – a game the Indians have now as fervently embraced as if it was ingrained in the Gita and the Upanishads.
Indeed, Kumble is quite familiar with this venerable venue, home of Surrey, for whom he played several matches and picked up plenty of wickets, before this stint was truncated by a shoulder injury. He holds the key on a powdery pitch. In short, notwithstanding his major contribution with the blade, he may be in for a considerable workload, if India are to force victory.
The two dismissals in the 90s in this match could both have been avoided. Karthik chased a rising ball outside off stump and paid the penalty. Television’s “snickometer” technology concluded he hadn’t made contact, but the Tamil Nadu lad felt he had.
Dhoni’s exit was less excusable. Having crafted a sensible blend of caution and aggression, he suddenly lapsed into Twenty:20 mode. Sixes off successive Kevin Pietersen off-breaks failed to quench his thirst. He could not resist trying to despatch the next delivery over the ropes as well. It’s the kind of temptation he needs to spurn – especially now that he’s been appointed captain for the shortest form of the game – if he is to carve out a lasting career in tests.
The most unfortunate among the so-near-but-yet-so-far band was, of course, Tendulkar, for he was apparently done in by umpire Simon Taufel in the second test after imprinting his best innings of the series. Of all the dubious decisions meted out by officials in the current series, this sparked the most fuss, because of English as well as Indian media’s affection for the Dadar dynamo.
Tendulkar makes news whether he succeeds or fails; and certainly evokes outrage if he becomes a victim of an umpiring error. As far as the English are concerned, there is a Bradmanesque appeal about him. They would happily grant him a hundred as long as this hammers in an England defeat.
Sky Sports, which carries live TV coverage of cricket in this country, in a third and final instalment on a lunchtime series called “Indian Pioneers” (the previous two episodes having covered Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev) on Saturday paid tribute to the little master from Mumbai. For him, too, this test could be a last bow in the land where he scored the first of his 37 test centuries.