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Port-of-Spain: “You’ve just woken me from jet lag!” was senior-most pro Anil Kumble’s reaction when The Telegraph contacted him at the Hilton in Kingston, on Saturday.
Kumble and the other four Test specialists (V.V.S. Laxman, Wasim Jaffer, Dinesh Karthik and Vikram Rajvir Singh) arrived on Friday and a sensible change in plan has given them a two-day break in the Jamaican capital before heading for Antigua.
But for this change, they would have gone straight to Sir Viv Richards’ homeland on landing in the Caribbean. Antigua is to host two matches ? a two-day practice game and the first Test, from Friday.
Despite the long haul-induced jet lag, India’s highest wicket-taker in Tests (510 from 106 appearances) spoke for a few minutes.
The following are excerpts
On this being his third tour of the West Indies
It’s nice to be back... I didn’t get to do much on the last trip (2002)... Hopefully, I’ll have a much bigger role this time.
On the fracture to his lower jaw (after being struck by a Mervyn Dillon bouncer in the Antigua Test) prematurely ending the last tour
It happened... It’s part of the game... Four years on, that’s all I can say...
On India’s defeat in the ongoing one-day series
It was closely fought and too much shouldn’t be read into the loss... Two of the three defeats, after all, came in the last over against a good team.
On whether he watched each ball of the first three ODIs at least
Frankly, I didn’t watch much television.
On the task ahead for Team India in the four Tests
We’ve got to post big totals and, then, the bowlers have to get 20 wickets... There’s nothing complicated.
On the slowness of the wickets
They’ve been as expected... The wickets were slow on my earlier trips as well, in 1997 and 2002... Whatever the surface, batsmen and bowlers have to adjust.
On his preparation for the Tests
I was happy to get a break... It was nice spending time with the family (in Bangalore) and looking ahead... There are a few days to recover (from jet lag) and get used to conditions in the West Indies.
On whether the two-month break (after the Mumbai Test) has made him more hungry for wickets
(Laughs) It’s always good to get back into action... I don’t have to be more or less hungry... I do my job.
On whether he has set a target
No.
Finally, on West Indies captain Brian Lara saying India remain favourites for the Test series, largely because “Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh” are going to bowl in tandem
The performances of only two won’t make
a difference... All 11 have to deliver... Success comes
through a team effort.
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