It is surprising to think that a bowler whose ball had very little 'turn' has 619 Test wickets in his account. He is India's most successful bowler. Veteran Indian team captain Sourav Ganguly used to say this. Kumble is the fourth bowler in the list of bowlers who have taken the most wickets in Test cricket. His successes are so numerous that an entire book can be written. He is a different personality. It would not be an exaggeration to say that his face oozes decency. He is a player made of different clay. On his birthday we will talk more about his 'work-ethics'. But to understand his importance on the field, just remember some old pictures. Remember the 1999 Kotla Test when he took all 10 wickets in the innings against Pakistan. Remember the 2002 Antigua Test, when he bowled with a broken jaw.

There was applause for Anil Kumble

Remember the 2008 Sydney Test, in which Anil Kumble was applauded in the press conference even after losing the match. This is the same test match in which the Monkeygate episode took place. When Kumble came to the press conference after losing the match, he said - I think only one team has played in the true spirit of the game, that is, I think there was only one team which played keeping the dignity of the game in mind. There was applause in the press conference on this statement of Kumble. Well, these are just some stories and some pictures, otherwise if we go into the successes and record books, Anil Kumble's name has a lot of meaning.

It would not be wrong to say that he has given India the maximum number of victories in Test cricket. Before becoming the captain himself, he was a lucky captain under whose captaincy he played. His captaincy records were better. But even away from the field, his work-ethic shines differently. If we remember his behavior in both the situations when he joined Team India as a coach and then when he left this responsibility, things will become more clear.

When Kumble became the captain of Team India

It was Kumble's work-ethic that he was made the coach of India. Remember, the first major condition laid by BCCI for selecting the coach, Kumble did not fulfill the same condition. The condition was that the candidate should have coaching experience. Till that time, Kumble had not coached any big team, but when he applied, he was also selected. The committee that selected him included Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVL Laxman. This committee rejected the strong claim of Ravi Shastri and handed over the responsibility to Kumble. Due to which some people also showed resentment. Then questions were also raised that what wrong did Ravi Shastri do that he was removed. That too when Ravi Shastri was the first choice of Test team captain and the strongest name of Indian cricket, Virat Kohli.

There were also news of VVS Laxman's partnership in Anil Kumble's company. Even there was an open exchange between Ravi Shastri and Sourav Ganguly. Those interested in spicy cricket news said that Sourav Ganguly took old revenge from Ravi Shastri and some said that this was done so that Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri do not start ruling the entire team together. But in this entire exercise, Anil Kumble was made the coach because of his clear way of working.

Had to give up responsibility because of 'work ethics'

However, Anil Kumble's tenure as coach remained short. Remember the letter he wrote when he left the coach's chair. The Hindi translation of that letter written in English was something like this - I feel honored by the proposal from the Cricket Steering Committee to continue with the responsibility of head coach. The credit for the success of the last one year goes to the captain, the entire team, coaching and support staff. Recently, for the first time, I was informed by the BCCI that the captain has doubts about my coaching methods and my continuing as the head coach. This is surprising for me because I have always maintained the boundaries between coach and captain. BCCI also tried to clear the misunderstanding between me and the captain, but it is clearly understood that this partnership will remain unstable from now on. Therefore, I have decided to leave this responsibility.

There is a need to understand this letter well because Anil Kumble did not join the Indian team just to be the coach. No one will deny that as a coach he would hardly have earned as much fame as he did as a player. He was associated with Team India because he had a lot to offer to the Indian players. He wanted to inculcate the patience of Test cricket in the players born in the fast-paced generation of IPL. However this could not happen.