Kumble move opens up options

To cap it, he presented Ganguly with the second new ball after his first three deliveries and got instant results. Misbah-ul-Haq went for a mighty heave over mid-on next ball and Dinesh Kaarthick latched on to it. Ganguly was soon celebrating again at the end of his over, having removed the usually stubborn Mohammad Sami.

Kumble had shown such immense faith in Ganguly8217;s bowling abilities8212;so much so that even the former Indian skipper heaped praise on him. From the outside, it all seemed ironical though8212;Kumble under Ganguly was always under-utilised in the shorter version, and the Bengal southpaw was largely responsible for his shortened limited-over career.

But knowing Kumble, and this gentleman8217;s game, these little grudges have to be left out of the dressing room.

And perhaps Kumble had another reason in showing such confidence in Ganguly8212;to make a subtle point to the selectors over his lack of faith in Patel. The wiry Mumbai speedster bowled at a pedestrian pace in the second innings, with no success, and was limited to just ten overs. Even as Zaheer Khan opened the bowling from one end this morning and got results, Patel never came into the scheme of things.

An interesting reminder at this point may not be out of place8212;that of Ishant Sharma8217;s very late inclusion into the side as another option along with Patel, before the team management opted for the latter.

Call it Jumbo8217;s jackpot or Ganguly8217;s stupendous success with the new ball or Munaf8217;s uninspiring spell. But it is forcing a rethink of strategy8212;India may well play with three spinners on a low and slow Kolkata wicket.