Steve Waugh speaks tall for Anil Kumble, says ‘Rahul Dravid of their bowling line-up’

Steve Waugh speaks tall for Anil Kumble, says ‘Rahul Dravid of their bowling line-up’
Steve Waugh (left) and Anil Kumble (right).

As the competition in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar trophy is becoming intense, former Australian captain and player, Steve Waugh revisited his cricketing moments with the Indian team. Waugh praised the former Indian captain and the legendary spinner Anil Kumble and talked of their on-ground rivalry.

In a video posted by cricket.com.au, Steve Waugh explained why Anil Kumble was a special bowler. “He (Anil Kumble) was a fierce competitor. He was always at you and never gave you an inch. I can’t remember him bowling poorly against us. He was a bit like Dravid of their bowling lineup. The captain knew what they were going to get from him. He was there all the time.”

Waugh believes that Kumble’s commitment for his team was unmatched and added, “I don’t think I played anyone who enjoyed playing for the country as much as he (Anil Kumble) did. It was everything to him. We certainly didn’t play him as a leg-spinner. We played him more like a slow in-swing bowler.”

Talking about the variety in Kumble’s bowling, Waugh mentioned, “He had a great change of pace. It was all about variations, use of the crease. He sort of mixed it up a bit. Anything in the wicket like a bit of rough or unevenness, and he was more than a handful.”

Anil Kumble’s broken jaw incident

The Indian spinner is best remembered for his lionhearted performance against West Indies. Anil Kumble bowled with his face bandaged, in the Antigua Test of 2002. Kumble sent down 14 consecutive overs and became the first bowler to dismiss Brian Lara while bowling with a broken jaw.

Kumble, who had captained Team India, spanned his career over 18 years. He played 132 Tests and 271 ODI games, picked up 619 scalps 337 wickets in the respective formats. Kumble holds a phenomenal record against Australia in Test cricket. He took a total of 111 wickets which included 8 for 141 in the 2004 Sydney Test which was Steve Waugh’s farewell game.

Watch Kumble’s iconic bowling