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Would’ve gotten all 10 wickets against Pakistan a lot earlier had there been DRS: Anil Kumble tells R Ashwin

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Byhindustantimes.com
Aug 01, 2020 07:58 PM IST

Former India leg-spinner Anil Kumble said he probably would have gotten all 10 wickets against Pakistan in 1999 had there been DRS.

Former India captain and coach Anil Kumble said he probably would have gotten his 10-wicket haul against Pakistan a lot earlier had there been a provision to use DRS (Decision Review System) in that Test match at the Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi in 1999.

Kumble who became the first Indian and only the second in the world after England’s Jim Laker to pick all 10 wickets in an innings in international cricket that day, recalled the Test against Pakistan with fondness.

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“There were talks that AV Jayaprakash was from Bangalore but I think it’s wrong to attribute wickets or accuse the umpires of any sort of bias. If there was DRS, I would have probably gotten the 10 earlier. That’s how I look at it,” Kumble told Ashwin in an interview in DRS with Ash.

While recalling his herculean effort against Pakistan that helped India level the series by beating Pakistan by 212 runs in the second Test at Delhi, Kumble said it was a team effort.

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“When I took six out of six, there was a tea break. So, when I came back, I was a bit tired. Because I had bowled from lunch to tea, right throughout that spell. And at tea, I realised that there is a chance for me to get better than what I have done before. I never realised that I will get all 10,” Kumble said.

“I don’t think you go into a game thinking you are going to get all 10. Although you try and prepare that way, saying that, how do I bowl from No 1 to No 11 in the team? But you never realise that you will get all 10. So, eight and nine happened with the fifth and sixth balls of that over. When I completed the over and went to my thirdman position people in the stands said ‘don’t worry you’ll get 10 wickets’.

Kumble also recalled how Javagal Srinath had helped him get the final wicket by bowling wide of the stumps in the previous over.

“I didn’t have to have a word with Sree at all. All of them were trying to make sure I get 10. Sree bowled that over and I think probably it was a difficult over. As a bowler, it is very difficult to constantly tell your mind to bowl wide. Knowing Ramesh, don’t think he deliberately went after that catch. He wasn’t even aware. People around were screaming drop drop. The ball was away from Ramesh otherwise he would’ve probably taken that catch,” he added.

Kumble said he had planned to get Wasim Akram away from the strike to dismiss No.11 Waqar Younis but later on changed it.

“In the next over Wasim Akram was on strike. He was batting for a while. So I decided to push mid-off, mid-on back so that he can take a single and I get a crack at Waqar. But after a couple of balls, I realised Wasim wasn’t going to take a single. So I brought the field in and decided that it has to be Wasim now. I can’t expect Sree to bowl another over like that. It was one of those things, Wasim played for the turn but the ball didn’t turn and it took the inside edge and Laxman took a good catch. So yes, it was a team effort. I was fortunate to pick up all those wickets,” Kumle said.

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