Kumble strikes form in KSCA tournament

Anil Kumble has started to show signs of form ahead of New Zealand's tour of India, leading the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) XI into the final of the KSCA all-India Invitation MRF Trophy tournament.

Kumble was instrumental in crushing the Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) by 111 runs in the semi-final at Bangalore. He took four wickets in the RSPB's first innings, restricting their total to 219, a lead of 37. He then gambled by promoting Stuart Binny to number three, and was duly rewarded with a 99-ball 117.

That set the RSPB a target of 199 runs, and Kumble shone again, removing Bhavin Thakkar, Jai P Yadav and Santosh Sahu to pick three for 15. Just when he looked certain to run through the side, however, he brought medium-pacer Vinay Kumar into the attack. Yet again, his move paid rich dividends - in this case, a hat-trick that accounted for Yerre Goud, Kulamani Parida and Santosh Saxena.

Kumble's role as the strike-bowler on home pitches seems certain to continue for the New Zealand tour, but bigger challenges lie ahead, when India tour Australia at the end of the year. It will be a long, hard season, but Kumble has begun it well.