Good on Kumble

India's highly competitive legspinner Anil Kumble has now achieved two things in his Test career that the great Shane Warne didn't: he has made a century, and been appointed captain of his country.

No doubt Kumble's appointment as captain is an interim measure, but it's still a great honour. It's also due reward for the likeable leggie's commitment to his team winning, and his thoughtfully aggressive approach to cricket's toughest art, the bowling of wrist-spin.

At age 37, Kumble is not a long-term captain and his agile mind would have fathomed in his sleep that he's only keeping the seat warm for Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Nevertheless, the appointment does make sense.

Kumble's first assignment is a tough one, leading against arch-rivals Pakistan. Any Indian loss to Pakistan causes great angst, and often highly emotional decisions are taken that, when viewed in the cold, hard light of day, aren't necessarily right. Dhoni is a long-term captaincy candidate and the selectors were wise to protect him from a potential landmine right at the start. At 26 he is about the right age to start his Test captaincy career, but the selectors were wise to avoid a baptism that included two potentially damaging situations. Looked at in this light, Kumble could be seen as a possible sacrificial lamb being sent to the slaughter in order to preserve Dhoni for the future.

If Kumble survives the Pakistan trial, he'll be off to Australia, where captaincy can be a daily nightmare. Ask Mahela Jayawardene. On the first day at the Gabba this week, Jayawardene made the mistake of omitting a genuine fast bowler and then had the misfortune of watching as rain reduced his time with the new ball under cloudy skies to a minimum. Then, in the lunch break, the sun appeared and the pitch quickly turned into a tame pussycat rather than a crouching tiger.

Such twists of fate can turn a sane man into a nervous wreck. However, as a wrist-spinner Kumble has already experienced every dastardly act the cricketing gods can dream up. He will look at anything the game throws at him as just another challenge to be met head-on and with due thought to finding a solution. He'll look at his appointment as an opportunity to round out sterling service to his country with a flourish. If India do lose either of the upcoming series - and it'll most likely be a win against Pakistan and a loss to Australia - his opponents will at least know they've been involved in hand-to-hand combat.

He has never spent a wasted moment on the cricket field. He's one of the most competitive players I've seen, and always without offending anyone; not the umpires, his opponents or his team-mates. He's been a credit to himself, the game and his country, and any player who doesn't follow Kumble into battle and give his last drop of sweat is beyond help.

Kumble also possesses one great asset that Dhoni doesn't: he understands the requirements of bowling in Australia. This will be a big help to his fellow bowlers on the tour Down Under, and as an alert cricketer, Dhoni's captaincy education will be furthered by being Kumble's understudy.

Kumble is everything a team wants in a captain. He is a man of action and few words, and his deeds are inspirational. To understand Kumble and the respect he has earned, you only had to see his Test century, at The Oval. Every run was crafted with thought and effort and the boundary that brought his century was a triumph for the way it adjusted to a tricky situation. The fact that his hundred brought as much joy to his team-mates on the balcony as it did to him was a tribute to a man who has given his all on the field but never humiliated anyone in the process.

As a spin-bowling captain Kumble will have at least one well-wisher in Australia: Richie Benaud admires thoughtful determination and believes there can never be enough bowling captains. I wouldn't mind betting Kumble has many other admirers in Australia, one of whom is a former spinner who would've made a great captain and should've made a Test century.