Anil Kumble’s name has always been counted among the great Indian players. Well, very few know him that he was also the favourite captain of his teammates. Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir remarked that the former leg spinner is his favourite leader and he was ready to give his life for him.
Kumble was appointed as the captain of the Test Team in 2007 after Rahul Dravid resigned from the post. He has captained the team in 14 Test matches, but rarely his name is called out when names of Indian captains are mentioned.
In the recent interview, Gambhir mentioned Kumble’s speciality as the captain. He said that the type of assurance he got from Kumble was incomparable. He reminisced the incident when Kumble gave a statement of assurance to Sehwag and him before the start of a four-match Test series against Australia in 2008. He said that after that, Kumble became his favourite captain.
“Sehwag and I were having dinner when Kumble walked in and said that you guys will open throughout the series no matter what. Even if you get 8 ducks it doesn’t matter. I have never heard such words from anyone in my career. So, if I have to give my life for someone, it would be Anil Kumble. Those words are still in my heart,” Gambhir said while speaking in Sports Tak.
“Had he captained India for a longer duration like Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli, he would have made many records. He captained in tough series’ in Australia and Sri Lanka.”
Further in his statement, Gambhir said that Kumble would have 900 wickets in his name if Decision Review System (DRS) was available at that time. The former spinner has played 132 Test matches and picked up 619 wickets with an average of 29.65.