Former Indian spinner Anil Kumble bowled daunting bouncers as a leg spinner on domestic placid pitches recalled his teammate Sanjay Manjrekar. He lauded his distinctive abilities to get an exceptional bounce on the placid Indian pitches. The spinner had an aggressive attitude on the pitch and was a regular match-winner for his team.
Anil Kumble had a slow start to his international career, but his steady hard work took him to the greatest highs in his career. The spinner has captained and coached the Indian team for a brief stint. He is currently the KXIP Director of Cricket Operations.
(Photo by Mohd Zakir/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)”
“People were fending the ball as they would against Brett Lee”
The Star Sports show Cricket Connected hosted Sanjay Manjrekar, Brett Lee and Ashish Nehra and talked about their early impressions of Anil Kumble.
The former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar says Anil Kumble was not the conventional leg spinner.
“He was already been talked about by everyone that there is this tall leg-spinner but he is not quite like a leg-spinner.And I remember there were some first-class performances where people were talking about him bowling bouncers on some of those domestic pitches.” said Sanjay Manjrekar
“People were fending the ball as they would against Brett Lee. So, his reputation preceded him.” he added.
Image Credits: Google
“A bit like a university student with the look with the glasses” Brett Lee on Anil Kumble
The former Australian pacer had a fair share of time on the pitch with his Indian counterpart Anil Kumble. He recalls his first impression of him looking like a university student wearing glasses. His calm demeanour was radically opposed to his outrageous stats.
“When he first started playing cricket, a bit like Vettori with the glasses on, a bit like a university student with the look with the glasses. He looked a bit shy and timid but 619 wickets later, 130-odd Tests, a legend of the game but a legend of a guy,” said Brett Lee
Anil Kumble. BCCI
Former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra lauded Anil Kumble as the greatest ever match-winner. He also commented on his changing styles which saw him earlier coming on the field with huge glasses which later vanished.
“First time I saw him was on television only when Anil Kumble was playing for India. He had those huge glasses, but as you keep on playing your face, mannerisms and style keeps changing every 5-6 years.But I would definitely agree that with the ball, he was India’s biggest match-winner.”
Anil ‘Jumbo’ Kumble retired in 2012 from cricket. He finished his career as the third-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket with 619 wickets to his name only behind Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan. He was famous for his back spinning flipper and the custom-made googly.
