KUMBLE.Com
Right from my younger days I have had a soft corner for the underdogs, the not so glamorized personas and Kumble has been one such cricketer.In India, being a cricketer and a not being a demi-god is unusual. This unusuality and simplicity of Kumble struck me. N ofcourse, I got bowled over.By his good looks.
As a teenager, I happened to meet him once at a school event and among hundreds of students, I was the only one to manage an autograph from him. The 'video' of his smile emerging from within his sexy moustache can be played in my mind over and over. In the excitement I uttered to him.. " This is the best day of my life".. I don't know if he even heard it.. but for my teenage diaries, it remains one of the most distinctly pleasant entries.
As I grew older, my family and friends thought my craze for him is going to die. Rather they hoped it would. They ridiculed him and questioned his ability as a cricketer just to irritate me. But nothing really got into my head. I was in falling for him and that was that. No reasoning nothing. Love is blind you see..!
Whether his 10 wicket haul, his jaw- dropping feat against the Windies,his patience during the bench warming days, or his comeback after the shoulder injury.. they were all proof enough that he is a true fighter. But somehow, the nation failed to recognize his greatness. But for in Bangalore, he was never the popular kind of cricketer and I felt bad for him! How could not people recognize such a guy. How could they undermine him just because he does not get involved in controversies and is the silent sort. How could fellow cricketers not recognize his abilities as a leader.. even after his tremendous and persistent contribution to the game..? How could they just use and throw this guy?
And after so many years , it was as though, भगवान के पास देर हैं अंधेर नहीं.. and.. out of the lack of choices, my hero is the captain of the test team. And thanks to the controversies during the series in Australia, his stature was finally given due recognition. He is suddenly 'The Unsung Hero'. He is suddenly the most respected cricketer in the world. People are listening to him. I almost felt like screeching.. " I was saying this all through..". The adulation he got for handling the on-off field issues in Australia made me really happy. Finally my hero is also the nation's hero. Finally people are looking at him in a whole new way.
Am sure many many cricket followers and cricket lovers are screeching along with me.. " I told you so..Kumble was always a hero!". I am glad that his efforts have paid off.. even though its a tad bit late, I think it is worth it!
It is his dedication and perseverence which make Kumble what he is today. I am childishly proud of the fact that he is a Banglorean and a Mechanical Engineer like me! I write this article as a dedication to the man I first fell in love with and then understood why. I wish to emulate his professionalism and never- say- never attitude. May every sport get a Kumble! Kumble. com is definitely the way to go !! http://www.kumble.com/
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Post Edits :
Kumble calls it a day. Harsha sums it up well for me - Retirement from One-dayers
Kumble offers his photographs in a book titled Wide Angle.
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