The declaration debate

Anil Kumble defends his decision to declare when he did on the final day of the Bangalore Test and says things would have been planned differently if it had been known the weather would get cloudy and prompt a bad-light situation. He writes in the Hindu:

It could have been 2-0 and that would’ve been nicer, but a series win is a series win, especially ahead of an all-important tour like Australia.

He also expresses concern over the increasing amount of international cricket being played today:

See the way international cricket is paced now: There is only three days between games, of which one is spent travelling, one practising and just one resting, you really don’t have enough time to celebrate the moment, nor brood over what you’ve lost.

In the same paper, Peter Roebuck criticises the declaration as "the margin of victory was reduced by timidity." He writes:

Striking the right balance, between attack and defence, counts amongst the hardest tasks facing any new captain. Moreover India was playing a local derby with an occasionally hostile neighbour.

Nevertheless Kumble erred on the side of caution and must change his outlook in Australia. It’s hard enough to get on top Down Under and the opportunity is not to be spurned. Any team that takes a dominant position against the Australians must resist the temptation to consolidate.