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| Anil Kumble jubilates after bringing Australia’s first innings to an end for 212 with the dismissal of Shaun Tait on Day II of the third Test at the Waca in Perth on Thursday. Tait was Kumble’s victim No. 601. (AFP) |
Perth: Anil ‘Jumbo’ Kumble scaled yet another peak, at the Waca on Thursday, when he got his 600th wicket. After stumps, he had a Q&A session there itself and, then, a one-on-one with The Telegraph at the Hyatt Regency.
The following are excerpts
On what it means to join the 600 Club
Means a lot... When you start off you never think that you’ll reach such a milestone... But having played for so long you keep crossing landmarks and milestones... Means a lot especially when people thought I wouldn’t last even two Test matches... You need to have faith, need to have the belief and I’d like to thank my wife and the rest of the family... I’d also like to thank all teammates and all my captains.
On the not-being-good-enough-for-two-Tests bit
I wouldn’t like to go back in time... Wouldn’t like to say who said what... There has been a lot of criticism right through my career, but I took it in the right way... You do need critics to egg you on... Whenever I was out of the team, I always thought there was something I could get better at... I’ve never lacked motivation and would come back stronger.
On whether he’s proved that it’s not important to bowl in a particular manner (being a big turner, for example)
(Laughs) Hope so... At the end of the day, what matters is for me to create a doubt in the batsman’s mind... Whether you do it by bowling straight, by spin or bowling bouncers doesn’t matter. It’s about creating doubts and I think I’ve done enough of that... Hopefully, it will go on...
On having come through a tough selection process where, often, one gets just two balls to prove one’s worth
It happens in India with a thousand 13-14 year-olds out to prove their talent before the selectors... A batsman could only get a couple of balls, maybe that’s why I became a bowler!
On whether his achievement is all the more sweeter because there’s an excellent chance of forcing a win in the third Test
It’s important to continue playing good cricket... We’ve done that on the first two days and we’ve got to take this momentum forward... If we have a good day tomorrow (Friday) then we’ve got a great chance of winning...
On the wicket of Andrew Symonds, his 600th victim
Symonds and (Adam) Gilchrist had been building a big partnership and it was important to get the breakthrough... I appealed and the umpire upheld it... It was a crucial wicket and it’s a nice coincidence that the catch was taken by Rahul (Dravid), who has taken so many off my bowling.
On the excitement factor in getting there
I just needed one wicket... It wasn’t as if four-five were required to reach 600.
On whether he missed anybody
(Emotionally) It would’ve been nice had my father (K.N. Krishna Swamy) been alive...
On the three most memorable moments during his 18-year international career
The first is my Test debut (Old Trafford, August 1990), then when I got all ten wickets in an innings (against Pakistan at the Kotla, in February 1999) and, well, today...
On whether any other Test performance stands out
Off the cuff... Look, every wicket has been important.
On whether he remembers his first victim
Allan Lamb, who was caught by Sanjay Manjrekar in the close-in field.
On over 200 wickets having come in the last four years
I’m probably more relaxed... I’ve probably used the experience of bowling in different conditions... I’ve had great support from the other end whenever (Harbhajan Singh) Bhajji has played... We tend to bowl in partnerships and I’ve been able to get wickets... The last three-four years have been really good, once the shoulder got stronger (after surgery in 2001).
On whether, after a string of strong performances in Tests, he intends making a comeback in ODIs
(Laughs) No... I’m happy playing Test cricket and a bit of Twenty20!
On Australia vice-captain Gilchrist, who’d called to wish him when he got his 500th wicket, warmly congratulating him on his 600th victim too
He’s one of the great guys who is always appreciative of what you do on the field... I remember he’d called me from Bangladesh when I took my 500th... At the end of the day today I jokingly said that I wish you’d been my 600th victim...
On his seamers excelling on Day II
They did a great job... RP (Singh) and Irfan (Pathan) upfront and, then, Ishant (Sharma)... We’d come close to picking up Australia cheaply on the first day in Sydney, but that didn’t happen... We learnt from that and I’m really proud that RP, at such a young age (22), is leading the attack... Irfan and Ishant supported him brilliantly...
On Australia being bowled out in 50 overs
Very satisfying.
On Ricky Ponting falling cheaply once again
It’s good to get the best batsman cheaply... With Matthew Hayden not playing, there’s more pressure on him.
On what had been his message to the bowlers
That it was important to pitch it up and bowl in the right areas... We’ve always had the ability to swing and that came handy... It’s easy to get carried away and overdo the short-pitched stuff on a wicket with pace and bounce, but our bowlers didn’t.
On the discussion at tea, when both Symonds and Gilchrist looked in control
We knew we had to build pressure and Irfan’s spell from the other end was important... I kept it quiet from one end and, once we began creating pressure, it was only a matter of one wicket-taking ball... I got rid of Symonds and, then, RP began to polish off the rest.
On Pathan
He’d lost it a little bit in the middle (of his career), but the positive thing is that it happened a bit early in his career... He’s come back really strong and bowled exceptionally in the ODIs at home and also in the Bangalore Test against Pakistan. I’m glad that he’s made such a good comeback.
On Ishant, the least experienced of the seamers
He’s learnt from the last Test (Sydney) and looks as if he belongs to this arena... He’s willing to bend his back... It’s great to have such young talent.
On his seamers making such good use of the conditions, including the sea breeze
Absolutely, they did so really well... The way they controlled the swing is really commendable...
Finally, on Virender Sehwag’s inclusion in the XI, seen as a gamble
He’s the sort to go out and play his game... He’s a very talented and special player and if he stays for a session and more then we’re in the driver’s seat. That’s the reason one backs him through and through. I’m confident he’ll be able to do the job tomorrow.
