Kumble wants cricket to adopt more technology
NEW DELHI: Anil Kumble believes sport, and cricket in particular, is not embracing technology fast enough. However, he expects broadcasters to make a big push in future to connect with cricket fans in India.
It is rare to find a sports star interacting with the head of one of the biggest global brands, but the former India skipper and coach was at home speaking with Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella on the latter’s recently released book “Hit Refresh” before a huge audience. The meeting point was information technology and cricket. While Anil Kumble holds a degree in mechanical engineering and is passionate about IT, Nadella was an off-spinner growing up in Hyderabad and keenly follows the Indian cricket team.
“I’m trying to immerse myself in data mining,” Kumble told the Microsoft CEO. “It’s fascinating, in cricket every ball provides scope for innumerable amount of data… (but) sometimes sports lags behind in technology.”
MORE TECHNOLOGY
India’s highest Test wicket-taker with 619 scalps feels technology now is limited to stump microphone, deciding leg before appeals and judging run outs besides the two-way communication which the late Bob Woolmer as South Africa coach introduced at the 1999 World Cup and is now popular in T20 leagues.
Kumble wants the technology expansion in cricket to enhance the fan experience.
“Wearable technology is there only in monitoring workload etc., but not in the game,” he said. Kumble recalled his experience of wearing the Microsoft Hololens – a virtual reality headset with transparent lens that gives a reality experience.
Kumble’s technology push is well known. His company Tenvec was sometime back involved in talks with the BCCI to provide scoring software, but the Board found it too expensive and it led to controversy with allegations of conflict of interest.
ADELAIDE TURNAROUND
Using the book’s title as a metaphor in cricket, Kumble said his own “Hit Refresh” moment came during the 2003-4 Australia Test series. India, having drawn the rain-hit first Test in Brisbane upstaged the hosts in the next game in Adelaide, which is one of India’s most memorable Test wins abroad. The series eventually ended 1-1. “When you cross 30, people start asking when you will retire. In Adelaide, Australia were 400/5 after the first day and I had around 1/100 in 30 overs. I went back to the hotel wondering about things, and how to turn things around.
“The following day, I kept bowling googlies, to an off-spinner’s field, and finished with 5 wickets. Eventually we won (Rahul Dravid hit 233 and VVS Laxman 148 in the first innings and Ajit Agarkar’s 6/41 saw Australia collapse to 196 all out).”