Kumble leaves Bell in a spin
As the second Test between India and England gets underway on a potential turner at Trent Bridge, Ian Bell articulates in his Guardian column the unique challenges Anil Kumble poses to batsmen
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan
25-Feb-2013
As the second Test between India and England gets underway on a potential turner at Trent Bridge, Ian Bell articulates in his Guardian column the unique challenges Anil Kumble poses to batsmen. Has there been a more underrated, understated champion?
The last time we played a Test in Nottingham we were picked to pieces by a little wizard called Muttiah Muralitharan. I didn't play in that game but now there's another world-class spinner in the opposition ranks and I've done as much work as possible to prepare for him. The strange thing about India's Anil Kumble is that he never quite seems to get the recognition he deserves. When people think about the best spin bowlers of the last 15 years they always come up with Murali and Shane Warne but Kumble has taken more than 550 Test wickets. It is pretty mind-blowing really.
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan is a former assistant editor at Cricinfo