Kumble seeks to develop team ethic

Anil Kumble, India's new Test captain, has called his ascendance to the captaincy "an opportunity to bring in some much-needed changes" and is working on a text that seeks to establish a team ethic.

"What I'm looking at is a team document of sorts that everyone contributes to, one that will have goals and a team ethic that will combine practicality and the spirit of our cricket," he wrote in the Hindu.

While he refrained from mentioning the details of the document, he wrote that it dealt with themes like selflessness, a commitment to the cause of the team and country, a fighting spirit and fearlessness in all situations, and the need for clear planning and strategy.

"The whole point here is to ensure that any cricketer, whether a youngster playing Under-15 cricket or a gulli cricketer dreaming of India colours, will know that these are the values, the reasons he has to play for India."

Kumble also stressed the importance of putting the team before the individual. "It's a team sport, and while this often tends to be overlooked by dazzling individual performances, the bottom line is that we should play as a team."

Kumble led the Test side for the first time in his 17-year international career against Pakistan in Delhi which started in Thursday.