The 5th element

From Avi Singh, New Zealand
Growing up in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, as a follower of Indian cricket I have had four heroes- Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman. I have cherished every moment that I have spent watching them unfurl their vast array of talent on the cricket field. But only until now, with Anil Kumble's announcement that he is to retire, have I felt that perhaps I was mistaken not to have Jumbo in this list of heroes.

Cricket followers as a breed tend to, like Maninder Singh noted, undervalue bowling greats in comparison to batting greats. The more I thought about this, the more I have tended to agree with Maninder. After all, when Rahul Dravid scored that unforgettable 233 and 72* at Adelaide, it was Kumble who picked up 5 wickets along with Ajit Agarkar who helped set up this victory.

Ditto at Headingley 2002, where we all remember Dravid's 148, Tendulkar's 193 and Ganguly's 128, but marginalise Kumble's 7 wickets. The same with Jamaica 2006, where Kumble's 6 wickets were forgotten amongst Dravid's admittedly exceptional 81 and 68.

Indeed, and all of the above heroes would agree with this, for the most part their achievements in gaining wins for India were as important as the unsung Kumble's. 619 Test wickets. There is no doubt in my mind that Kumble is right up there with the 'Fab Four'.

I have only now come to realise the truth in the cliche "You don't appreciate what you have until it's gone". My list of 4 heroes was missing a 5th element that created a greater synergy, and for that I apologise Jumbo.

I now have 5 heroes, and my only regret is that I didn't always have the 5th warrior in his rightful place. Nonetheless, you have arrived Jumbo. There is to be no change of heart. You will always remain.