Kumble seizes the initiative for India

By John Cheeran
The New Delhi Test is turning out to be a contest between Muttiah Muralitharan and Anil Kumble.
Wolrd’s finest off spinner versus the only leg spinner who has taken Perfect 10 in a Test innings.
Both are proven masters of the spin. They have, single handedly, put their sides back into this game of fluctuating fortunes.
After Marwan Attapattu and Mahela Jayawardene gave Sri Lanka a rock solid start on this unfaithful pitch, skipper Rahul Dravid had to depend solely on Kumble to derail the rival innings.
And it helps that Kumble enjoys his skipper and Karnataka teammate’s unstinted trust.
Kumble grabbed six wickets on his favourite track where in 1999 he had taken all ten Pakistan wickets in the fourth innings of the Test to script a glorious win for India.
Here again, Kumble is in with a chance to repeat the Perfect 10, since he will have to bowl the fourth innings.
Kumble returned to Indian team just in time. Battling an injury, Karnataka leg-spinner proved his fitness in Ranji Trophy before selectors let him back into the side.
Kumble has missed out on the ultimate prize in Indian cricket; leading the side.
One of the senior pros in the side, Kumble deserved captaincy when Mohammad Azharuddin became the persona non grata in Indian cricket.
With the advent of Sourav Ganguly, that was not to be the case; Kumble missed the captaincy bus.
But Kumble knows really well to conceal his disappointments and carry on.
And Indian cricket has benefited immensely from that.