Heart of oak

R Mohan offers his tribute to Anil Kumble, the new entrant to the 500 club.

Michael Atherton, the former England captain, says Kumble may lack Shane Warne's spin but perseverance pushed him past 500 Test victims.

When I first played against Kumble (his debut was at Old Trafford in 1990) I thought of him as a one-trick bowler. He had a non-spinning leg-break and a quicker delivery that skidded on. He later added an easily detectable googly and is currently working on a second. His control is far better than it was 16 years ago, but the essence of his bowling remains the same. It is his strength of mind that sets him apart.

Umpire AV Jayaprakash, the man in the white coats during Kumble's 10-wicket haul against Pakistan, relives those moments. He has a interesting side-tale to tell.