3rd November 2008 will forever be marked as a day when India’s second greatest test player, and India’s best bowler bid adieu to international cricket. To many, Kumble was a thorough gentleman. To his opponents he was a fierce competitor. To his compatriots he was simply Jumbo. I like to call him the Silent Killer, or simply Killer. He had the knack of picking up wickets whenever required. There would be an air of anticipation as soon as Kumble got the ball in his hands. For the better part of his career he was India’s Lethal Weapon.
Anil Kumble, age 38 years, has left international cricket amid emotional scenes today at the Ferozeshah Kotla. I, for one, had this feeling at the start of this match that this series would be Killer’s final. Even though he had failed miserably in the last couple of series, Anil Kumble will forever be remembered as one of India’s greatest champions. Who could forget 10-out-of-10. Not me as I was there to witness the one of the finest moment’s in Indian cricket. I still remember that match. Pakistan openers Afridi and Saeed Anwar were smashing Indian bowlers to a pulp. The crowd wanted Kumble. They knew if anyone could pick up a wicket then it was him. And Jumbo did not disappoint. In fact he went 9 more steps further by becoming only the second player in Test cricket history to take all 10 wickets in an innings.
Watch this, Gauti vs Watson and Katich. Gautam Gambhir has been banned by the ICC for 1 test match. His appeal against the ban has been rejected by ICC. As expected, Shane Watson was penalized only 10% of his match fee. Simon Katich has not even been reported for his “mental disintegration”, aka sledging, tactics.
Watch this video closely and you will see how well the Aussies play “in the spirit of the game”. If this is what they call a “gentleman’s sport” then Australia should be banned from playing any form of cricket, their Test status should be stripped, and all the trophies that they have won should be returned back. If this was the military, Australian players would have been court-martialled a long time ago.
On Tuesday, 28th October, over a billion people celebrated the Hindu festival of Diwali. Fireworks, sweets, gifts, gatherings - it is a festival that encompasses all of India. The third test match is going to be something like a Diwali festival. Expect plenty of fireworks from both the teams. There will be some sweet moments and some not so sweet. The pitch itself is a “parting gift” to Indian captain Anil Kumble.
In what could be described as a unique opportunity for India, they now have a chance to seal the series in Fortress Delhi. India have won their last 7 matches that they have played in the capital city. They have been unbeaten in the last 21 years in Delhi. The most destructive opening pair in test cricket at the moment are from Delhi. Indian skipper, Anil Kumble, took 10 out of 10 in Delhi. Saurav Ganguly, in his last test series, averages 60.55 here.
Loading ...