In the sea of euphoria, there was a shy smile on the face of one man at Chinnaswamy Stadium when Anil Kumble turned into a seamer today. Years back, first class umpire Yousuf Sale had ‘called’ Kumble for chucking in an inter-school game. Still in his teens, Kumble was a pacer then, and it was Sale’s repeated ‘no ball’ calls that made Kumble switch to leg-spin. “I grew suspicious because of his age and the speed he generated. I must have called him four times. It was his greatness that he came and asked me ‘what is wrong?’ I told him, ‘I have got my doubts about your action and I will not allow you to bowl fast’. He asked me, ‘Can I bowl spin?’ I said ‘yes’.” In the years to follow, Kumble became the third highest wicket-taker in the history of the game with his leg-spin, but today he turned back the clock to be a seamer for a few overs and India’s fortunes too took a U-turn. After having a look at the pitch that wasn’t responsive, Kumble decided to change plan. “I bowled a few warm-up balls in the morning. There was no spin or bounce on the wickets, and the only way to get people out was through balls that kept low and you had to bowl a bit quicker so that the batsmen don’t have enough time to adjust. Maybe I should have done it in the first innings,” he said.The delight on Kumble’s face was visible when he got the first wicket from his seam up. He mimicked the seam position and the trajectory of the fastish ball with his figures as he gleefully gestured to the dressing room after dismissing Pakistan opener Yasir Hameed. The smile said it all: “The plan was working and there was a chance.” After the game he spoke about the early days as a medium pacer. “I never realised that after 25 years I have to bowl medium-pace to get five wickets in Bangalore. My family and friends were here and it was great.” The delight on his face was visible as he waited for the prize distribution ceremony to start. He briefly waved to his wife and mother in the stands. While Kumble celebrated with his boys in the dressing room, wife Chetna had to wait for a while to have a moment with her husband. Finally, she managed to draw the historic series-winning captain’s attention and have a few words. With a selection committee meeting to attend, Kumble left soon, and Chetna moved towards the kids waiting in the car. Meanwhile, the captain is once again mobbed, as Bangalore can’t have enough of the man who made the impossible possible.
