Kumble: It’s important to have a core group of young players

[DesiChap]

Kumble: It’s important to have a core group of young players - It would’ve been nice if my father could be present, says India’s newest Test captain

New Delhi: Come Thursday and Anil ‘Jumbo’ Kumble will become the 30th Indian to lead a Test team out on the park. In the lead-up, the 37-year-old was cool and, typically, not overawed by the approaching moment.

Kumble’s wife (Chetana) and kids — including the infant Swasti — are already in town, but mother Saroja has stayed back in Bangalore. Asked by The Telegraph if he would remember anybody in particular, while leading the Sachin Tendulkars out for the first time (in a Test, that is), Kumble replied with just a hint of emotion: “Well, it would’ve been nice if my father could be present…” Kumble’s father, K.N. Krishnaswamy, is no more. Earlier on Wednesday, Kumble had his first full-fledged Q&A session with the media. The following are excerpts On getting the captaincy after 17 years of wearing the India colours I believe whatever happens is at the right time... This, probably, is the right time for me. On having to start his captaincy with injuries to two key bowlers, Rudra Pratap Singh and Sreesanth It’s part of the game... It’s unfortunate that they’ve had to miss out, but we’ve got the quality to win the match... Munaf Patel (the first replacement) has done well for India in the past and has been bowling well in domestic cricket... Fitness holds the key. On his innings as Test captain beginning at the Kotla, where he has always done well Delhi has always been nice for me personally, also for India... I hope that continues. Wahi ummeed hai. On the additional pressure of being the captain When I’m out on the field, I’ll be thinking about getting wickets... I’ll also be looking to motivate my players... Looking to make the right decisions. On whether deciding the XI has been tough More than me, it’s tough on Yuvraj (Singh)... He has shown tremendous form, but has to wait a little longer for a permanent place in the Test XI... Under the circumstances, it’s unfortunate... He’s a great player and our batting will soon revolve around him... On whether Yuvraj’s presence in the squad will keep the other specialist batsmen on their toes I don’t think anybody takes his place for granted... It’s good, healthy competition and, at the end of the day, performance counts. On his agenda Good cricket. We’ll do everything in our hands to win the series. On Mohammed Yousuf and Danish Kaneria Yousuf has been Pakistan’s most prolific scorer in recent times and he’s somebody we’ve got to look out for... The team has some great players and is a good unit... Danish is a good bowler and I’ve seen him develop... I hope he doesn’t do well in the next few matches, though! On captain Shoaib Malik’s belief that Pakistan’s win in the last ODI (Jaipur) would impact on the three-Test series Test cricket is very different from one-dayers. On the presence of three former captains (Sachin, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the ODI and Twenty20 captain, in the dressing room Makes it easier for me and I can have the inputs I need... I look at such things positively... On whether he has had a one-on-one with Dhoni, who’d been captaining for the past two months His inputs will matter... It’s important to have a core group of young players, the ones who’ll take Indian cricket forward... Having such a group is part of my responsibility as captain. On whether life has changed in the past fortnight (Smiles) I’m being asked a lot more questions! Off the field, yes, the responsibilities have definitely grown. Finally, on Australian captain Ricky Ponting having already begun the mind games No comments... No comments...