Who can forget the sight of Anil Kumble emerging from the pavilion, ready to bowl, his face bandaged, in the Antigua Test of 2002
Who can forget the sight of Anil Kumble emerging from the pavilion, ready to bowl, his face bandaged, in the Antigua Test of 2002 Despite a broken jaw, Kumble sent down 14 consecutive overs and got the prized wicket of Brian Lara out lbw after scoring mere 4 runs! Jumbo, as he is fondly called is perhaps India’s greatest ever match winner. In desperate situations, every Indian captain tossed the ball to him to get the much-needed break.
The highest wicket-taker took India 619 Test wickets, just third to the duo of Warne and Murali and the only Indian to get 10 wickets in an innings, Kumble was loved by cricket fans but the man himself nurses a grudge.
No, it’s not about the captaincy, which many feel came very late to him. It’s about discrimination against bowlers; the lack of recognition for bowlers. “Batsmen get all the credit. Bowlers toil hard but are not given the same kind of recognition. Bowlers are labour class,” he said during a session on condition of sports in India at the Jaipur Literature Festival.
Talking about other sports not getting similar following and recognition in India, Kumble said that unless other sports produce similar icons like cricket has given to the country, their condition won’t improve. He said that cricket has progressed a lot. Players are coming from small towns.
“Who could have thought ten years ago that someone from Ranchi would become captain of India,” he said.
Lauding IPL, Kumble said that it has benefited everyone. Talking about the role of money in sports, he said that money is a big requirement for any sports but it should reach to the grassroots.
In the same session, football icon Baichung Bhutia agreed with Kumble that other sports need icons. “It is true that other games couldn’t market themselves as cricket but for that to happen, success is necessary. And, for achievement, you need good players,” he said.
Bhutia rued the fact that players in sports other than cricket have no social security. “After playing for the country for so many years, my father wanted me to get a government job to settle down,” he said.
The ace footballer, who was the first Indian to play for an English club in second division, said that there was no dearth of good players but they don’t get facilities. He found IPL boring compared to football. “People have no attachment with a team, they clap only if Shahrukh or Preity Zinta was seen on the screen,” he said.
