No doubt Anil Kumble has been instrumental in most of the Indian test as well as One day wins in the 90s. After Kapil Dev, I think he was the only one who in real sense could establish himself as our strike bowler in both forms of Cricket. Who can forget how easily he use to flummox the opposition with his lethal accuracy. But his return to cricket after his shoulder operation has not generated the same kind results that we were used to see from him.He has been just a pale shadow of the Kumble the magician. The question remains in everyone’s mind, is it the end of Cricket for anil Kumble or should he be given a fair chance to comeback from the current lean patch. Everyone goes thru this phase and there have been instances when they have come back stronger. I feel that he has some cricket left and he can be easily be in our team till the next year’s world cup.
Strengths: -His determination is non-pariel.who can forget the Kumble with his face bandaged, in great pain bowling in the WI. (need we say more!)
-Experience:he along with tendulkar, ganguly, and dravid add stability to the team otherwise, most of the players are comparatively raw and are still evolving
-Consistency: he has been performing well at the highest level for quite a no of years.he has been the leading wicket taker for india in the last 5 years.
weakness:
Form: he doesn’t seem to be performing at his best currently. since we don’t have a credible substitute he has managed to remain in the team.
Fielding: he has never been the best in the field. now since age is catching up, I don’t think he has enough scope for improvement.
Batting: he doesn’t seem to even average with the willow, his reflexes have been poor and he only adds to the long tail that we have(including harbhajan, nehra and zaheer)
With his sheer grit and determination and given that there is no other substitute performing consistently, I am confident he can easily break into our team for the 2003 world cup.