The importance of Kumble

[Sachinism]

Anil Kumble wants to work with India's young talent and help in grooming and preparing them for life as cricketers. A better person could not be found, and a more crying need could not have been identified in Indian cricket. While it is a cricketer with skills who takes the field, the person within the athlete walks along too; sometimes as a shadow, sometimes even as a cloak. In the long run, while skill is important, attitude is supreme. Kumble was a man possessed of considerable skill himself, but as a competitor he was awesome. His skill made him a very good cricketer, and his attitude propelled that skill towards making him a legend in Indian cricket. It is such qualities that Indian cricket and the young men who symbolise it need a dose of, because currently there is an epidemic going around. Fine young cricketers are dropping off the radar, either unable to cope with fame and its attendant pressures or being satiated too soon. Kumble doesn't possess a wand, he is not an alchemist. And anyway, work ethic cannot be enforced or injected. It has to grow within. But hopefully Kumble can remind them of the path they need to be on. In truth they know of it, or at any rate they should, but a little nudge wouldn't be a bad idea. Once the bosses of Indian cricket take time off from looking into finances - important but not the core aspect of the game - maybe they can start looking at players. It is not identifying talented players that is the main issue, it is what to do with them once they are identified that seems a little more difficult and will require sensitive handling. India's problem, then, lies not so much in unearthing talent as in maintaining it. RP Singh and Sreesanth are wonderful vehicles that spend more time in the garage than on the road. Yuvraj Singh is a thoroughbred in danger of wandering off the track. These are not talents that a team can lose. If they hit the basement button, there has to be somebody to stop them. Hopefully Kumble can guide them. But eventually India's young cricketers must feel the need to be competitive and world-class from within, and do what it takes. In recent times I have met a couple of overseas cricketers and an Indian great, who without prompting offered the word "lazy" as a descriptor for some of our young bowlers. So either the BCCI could take a laissez faire approach and say that if some of the younger brigade project the wrong attitude they are probably the wrong people for the side anyway. Or they could take a serious look at the attrition levels in Indian cricket. It has disappointed me that more hasn't been done in that regard. The core of what Kumble will come up with will necessarily have to do with how to cope with success. It can lead to many things, some beautiful, some dangerous. It can spur you on to excellence or it can lead to complacence. My fear is that for the first couple of years, excellence stays relevant and then for some it seems to demand too much time, become too much of an effort. The low-hanging fruit seems too enticing. It would be too difficult to expect the coach to handle such matters, which is why many have been advocating a senior person, not necessarily a cricketer, as a permanent manager; not someone who guarantees a vote and gets an expense account but a real professional, who players can open their hearts to. People within the cricket system tend to mock those who reside outside. They often prefer the narrow confines of their world and prevent fresh thought from knocking at the door. My wife and I earn a living talking to corporate India about lessons from sport. The greater need, I am convinced, is for the best of corporate India to offer lessons in excellence to our young cricketers. Kumble's plan should be a starting point. http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/473310.html

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Hanged by the media, Randiv would have learnt an important lesson: Anil Kumble Would I have bowled a no-ball to deny a batsman a century? Probably not. But, in the end, I think the young off-spinner Randiv was hanged by the media --- and would have learnt an important lesson. More... Hanged by the media, Randiv would have learnt an important lesson Anil Kumble, Hindustan Times August 21, 2010 Increasingly in the cricket world, the top-down style of management where a few decide for the many is becoming outdated, if the South African experience is anything to go by. I was a guest speaker at the three-day annual conference of Cricket South Africa, attended by the stakeholders in the game, players, coaches, officials, doctors and trainers. It is a concept worth emulating in our country where many problems arise because of a lack of communication among those involved with the game. A four-year plan is drawn up (the last one was in 2007) so everyone knows where the game is going, what his role in it is as individual and part of a larger family. The master plan is useful to check against progress or deviation from it at regular intervals. This year, it was decided to bring in a system of measuring performance in all provinces as well as marking their contribution to Cricket South Africa (both positive and negative). I went as a guest speaker to talk on the challenges faced by a modern cricketer in the current cricket landscape. Youngsters, increasingly, will have to make more choices more often. Between the various forms of the game; between building a base for the future even as they are playing and leaving the future to take care of itself; between wanting to be the best they can be and merely ensuring security for the future; between on-field challenges and off-field temptations; between taking adequate rest and pushing the body to the limit. Youngsters will need to be mentored. This means that we will need to put into effect a body that will absorb the insecurities of the emerging player. I am glad that the BCCI has taken the lead here. During a spin clinic I conducted for the younger players, I stressed the importance of changing the mindset in a country of fast bowlers. Modern captains tend to hanker after the 'mystery' spinner, someone who appears different from the normal, yet the success of an off-spinner like England's Graeme Swann is testimony to the effectiveness of the old-fashioned. Swann is the classical off-spinner who does not need to experiment with the doosra. Subtle variations can be a theme for batsmen too, as Virender Sehwag is demonstrating in Sri Lanka. His unbeaten 99 might have attracted attention for what didn't happen at the end rather than during, but it was a wonderful exhibition of a restrained effort that still managed to impose itself on the bowling. Would I have bowled a no-ball to deny a batsman a century? Probably not. But, in the end, I think the young off-spinner Randiv was hanged by the media --- and would have learnt an important lesson. The cricket field is a lonely place when you get it wrong.

[Rajan]

lot of important observation on SA system by Kumble. the randiv remark is also valuable for sreesanth & bhaji-''The cricket field is a lonely place when you get it wrong.".so true.

[mastana]

What about Pangakara? :hehe:

[achilles]

Would I have bowled a no-ball to deny a batsman a century? Probably not. But' date=' in the end, I think the young off-spinner Randiv was hanged by the media --- and would have learnt an important lesson. The cricket field is a lonely place when you get it wrong.[/quote'] The master has spoken and his words are worth emulating for players, young and old.

[Tendulkar_Bhai]

Good article, we need ppl like him guiding our young bowlers as he doesnt just have the talent but the brain and intelligence as we see above. tbh he is probably still good enough to be playing in the team!

[Karan114]

In recent times I have met a couple of overseas cricketers and an Indian great, who without prompting offered the word "lazy" as a descriptor for some of our young bowlers.

Talent can get you only so far...you have to put in the hard yards after that to keep being a threat in international cricket. Unfortunately some of our young players lack that drive.

[dial_100]

I would like SRT, AK and SG to coach my team in next 5 years... your take??

[Hell Raiser]

Get him to work with our young brigade, hopefully he can make them determined just like he was.