145;It146;s not easy out there, but we can turn it around146;

Reserved, sober, Anil Kumble didn8217;t exactly jump up and say 8216;bring them on8217;. But yes, in his own quiet way...

Reserved, sober, Anil Kumble didn8217;t exactly jump up and say 8216;bring them on8217;. But yes, in his own quiet way, India8217;s trump card for the Test series starting Friday did throw up this little challenge to South Africa8217;s top batsmen.

8220;It will be good if they are aggressive. It is good for a bowler, you also have a chance to get them outiquest; if that8217;s going to be their approach, it will be a challenge,8221; said the ace leg-spinner, whose one-day comeback was one of the few bright moments for India over the last two weeks.

Turning back to the Australian series of 2004 for inspiration, when India toppled all odds by returning 1-1, Kumble said, 8220;All the boys are geared up and I think it will be a different Test series.8221;

Personal high, team low

8226; As a team I don8217;t think we did well in the one-day series, so if you consider my performance, I don8217;t think it was such an important thing. For me, the most important thing is you need to win the match. At the end of the day, if that doesn8217;t happen, then performances don8217;t really count.

Inspiration down under

8226; South Africans know their conditions well and they8217;ve really been good at home. They have the bowlers, the wickets suit them and yes, it8217;s not easy out there. But then again, in Australia 2004 series, not many people have gone there and come back victorious. So we need to look at the positives and at some point of time, we need to turn it around and I think this is a good opportunity for us.

Some tips for youngsters

8226; Every outing won8217;t be a 100 or a five-wicket haul, you have your ups and downs. So you try and put positive thoughts in their minds, tell them even I8217;ve been through this, that every cricketer who has played a fair mount of Test cricket has been through this. It8217;s important to keep talking to them, keep giving them positive thoughts, encouraging them.

Some runs, too

8226; It8217;s important, especially for a spinner, to have runs on the board and I am really confident that the batters will be able to do that in the Test series. The one-day series was not easy, a couple of times we had to bat under lights which was not great.

And one final look back

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8226; Yes, definitely what distinguished the team in Australia was there were runs to bank on. If you have to win Tests, you need runs on the board and you need the time and we did that. We got 20 wickets in a Test match and won it and we came pretty close to winning the last Test as well.

Boje calls it quits

Johannesburg: South African spinner Nicky Boje, who skipped two tours of India fearing arrest over match-fixing charges, today announced his retirement from international cricket.

The 33-year-old bowler said his decision stemmed from the desire to concentrate on his domestic career. 8220;I have decided to retire from international cricket immediately and I am accordingly unavailable to form part of the Proteas squad for this season,8221; Boje said in a statement released by the South African Cricketers8217; Association. 8212;PTI