Kumble has 'new googly'
Anil Kumble has been the bane of batsmen around the world for long but ahead of the Test series
the champion leg-spinner sent a warning to South African
batsmen, saying he is still to unfold some of his more deadly
weaponary.
Among them is a 'new googly' the genial bowler has
been working on for some time and ready to deliver in
this series.
"I have developed this (googly) over the years. It is not
difficult to detect but it spins more," Kumble said.
Kumble, who returned to international cricket after
recovering from a shoulder injury, said criticism that he
lacks big spin hasn't troubled him much but he is trying out
some different things and getting the ball to spin more would
obviously help him.
"If you want to be consistently successful in international cricket, you got to vary and try new things... I have my own style of getting wickets," he said.
"One of the factors which would always help me is if I can
spin the ball more... There is still time for me to work on
new things which I would certainly do," he said.
Kumble, who, unlike others, perfers to bowl against the
wind "because it gives you drift and also the dip", dismissed
worries about his shoulder, saying it is in perfect condition
and would easily take the stress of bowling in Test matches.
"I made sure that whenever I came back to international
cricket my shoulder was hundred per cent (fit). Otherwise, I
wouldn't have made this trip. I knew exactly what load it
needed to take to play top cricket," Kumble said.
Kumble, who has for long been India's main strike bowler,
said missing international cricket due to injury was
"furstrating but I guess it is an occupational hazard".
Apart from thinking about adding new tricks in his bag
during the break, he also helped young spinners like
Harbhajan Singh hone their skills. He rubbished suggestions
that helping newcomers meant increasing competition for
himself in the team.
"I don't agree with that. I think people do share their
experiences. I don't think if I share my experiences with some
youngsters and he picks up wickets, I would not be in the
team. Or that he becomes my competitor. Don't look at it
that way. I would do whatever I can to help them," he said.
And the 10 wickets in an innings that he took against
Pakistan in New Delhi remains his most memorable performance.
"It is the highlight of my career. People will always remember
me for those 10 wickets... my name would always be associated
with that."
India's tour of South Africa : Complete coverage
Mail Cricket Editor