India’s Kumble enthralls fans at Shyam Bhatia Awards
dubai — When a widely travelled cricket journalist has conversation with a veteran player, fans can expect a plethora of anecdotes. On Thursday night at the 18th Shyam Bhatia Awards, a dialogue between Australian scribe Mike Coward and former Indian captain Anil Kumble turned out to be very absorbing for young award winners as well as a large number of fans.
Not many in the audience were aware that Kumble’s international cricket debut was in Sharjah in April, 1990 when he was selected for the Indian ODI team. Reminiscing his first ever tour, Kumble revealed that he didn’t even have a passport to travel when he was picked for the Indian ODI team to play in Sharjah. “When I got picked I had to runaround for my passport to travel to Dubai and the first passport I got said only to the UAE,” he remembered. “I started my career here, played a lot of matches and wonderful to be back (in Dubai).”
The former Indian captain and coach is one of the most genial cricketers in the world and at the same time very tough on the field. Nicknamed ‘Silent Assassin’, Kumble bowled 40,850 deliveries in his 18-year-long career and there are plenty of incidences during this journey. He was coaxed into talking about some by the master of ceremony, Gautam Bhimani and Coward.
What he narrated reflected two personalities of the leg spinner — tough as nails side and then his humbleness. In 2002 Antigua Test, Anil Kumble, coming into bowl with his jaws strapped, is one of the most inspiring moments of the game. It looked a certain end to Kumble’s tour after that nasty blow to his jaw from a Merv Dillion bouncer. But, to everyone’s surprise the soft-spoken bowler walked into bowl with a heavily strapped jaw.
“That was the best way to get (Brian) Lara out,” he said with a slight chuckle. “He (Lara) was not looking at the ball but got scared looking at my jaw,” he said as the audience outside Shyam Bhatia’s museum lawns burst out laughing. In a lighter vein he said: “That was the best variation to get him out.” Then added matter of fact that he knew his shoulder was fine and he could bowl so he came on to bowl.
When Kumble speaks, it is obvious that the subject turns to his 10 wickets at Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla ground against Pakistan in 1999. “I give credit to Sachin (Tendulkar),” he said.
Explaining the logic, Kumble called Tendulkar his luck charm. “He (Tendulkar) took my cap and sweater to give it to the umpire when Pakistan were 100 for no loss in chase of 420 for victory,” he revealed. He had Shahid Afridi caught behind by Nayan Mongia for the first Pakistan wicket at 101.
“After I got Shahid Afridi, he (Tendulkar) continued to take my cap and sweater to give it to the umpire and I kept taking wickets,” he said.
It was an absorbing evening for fans and cricketers in Dubai for which everyone was thankful to Shyam Bhatia. “This is (a) beautiful journey of my life. Cricket is not only my passion but part of my life,” said Bhatia.
“This year we are giving the lifetime achievement award to Mr Abdulrehman Bukhatir, who has done wonders for cricket-loving people in the UAE.
sunilvaidya@khaleejtimes.com