The statement by Indian coach John Wright that Anil Kumble has to fight his way back into the Indian team made for interesting reading. Till a few months ago, the idea of India's main strike bowler of the last decade having to `fight' to come back to the team would have been unthinkable. Ever since his return to the Indian side for the tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa in 1992, Kumble has been a permanent fixture in the playing eleven. In fact, he played 60 Tests on the trot from Harare in October 1992 to the Test against South Africa at Bangalore in March 2000. No other Indian spin bowler has played in as many successive Tests.

The 30-year-old ace leg spin-googly bowler from Karnataka has bestrode the Indian spin scene like a colossus taking 276 wickets in 61 Tests. The next best haul by an Indian spinner during the same period was less than 100 wickets. It did not matter if Kumble was generally a match winner only on home wickets. Indeed, the difference in his performances at home and away is quite marked. In 31 Tests at home, Kumble has 175 wickets at an average of 21.38 In 30 Tests abroad, he has only 101 wickets at an average of 39.46. Despite this, he still remained India's first choice spin bowler and on quite a few occasions he has been the only spin bowler in the playing eleven. even on foreign soil.

In Kumble's absence, the Indian spin attack generally struggled to take wickets in the three Tests against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe at the start of the 2000-2001 season. With Kumble continuing to be on the sidelines thanks to the shoulder injury he sustained in Sharjah in October last year, tough times were predicted for the Indian spin attack, particularly in the series against the all conquering Australians. Who was there to take the wickets, it was argued even as we prayed and hoped for Kumble to recover quickly. The panic stricken selectors threw the net far and wide in an effort to find adequate replacements. Leg spinners, off spinners, left arm spinners, part time spinners et al were summoned to the camp prior to the selection of the team to take on the Australians but the cupboard seemed to be bare.

We had all reconciled ourselves to the fact that the Indian spin attack was going to be harshly treated till Kumble returned when suddenly Harbhajan Singh burst upon the scene. Even as there were no other spinners worth their name, the young offie became the toast of the nation and the scourge of the Australians by taking 32 wickets in three Tests. By doing so, not only did he play a leading role in India's astonishing comeback win in the series but he also did something that no one thought possible - push Kumble out of his place as India's reigning spin king. At the moment then, Kumble can no longer assume that his place in the side is assured. Once he recovers from his shoulder ailment he has to, in John Wright's words, "fight" his way back into the side.

This is certainly an unaccustomed and rather unwelcome role for Kumble. `Prima donnas' do not generally like to be shoved out of their exalted status but then if this is a new situation for Kumble, it is not something new for leading bowlers. Kumble's great contemporary Shane Warne himself has had to face competition from Colin Miller and Stuart MacGill, especially after his return to the game following treatment to an injured shoulder but took up the challenge boldly. Kumble is also made of sterner stuff. He can be counted upon to counter Harbhajan's challenge as the country's leading spin bowler in a healthy, competitive manner. But the snag is that there are no domestic or international matches for him to prove his fitness or that he has lost none of his skill. He says he hopes to be match fit and available for selection for the South African tour from October. "If I recover before the Sri Lankan tour in July-September, that will be a bonus," Kumble is quoted to have said.

It is likely that neither Kumble and the selectors would be inclined to rush his return to international cricket. Infact Sourav Ganguly has already indicated this. So Kumble being ready and available before the tour of South Africa is unlikely. Unless Harbhajan performs very poorly on the tours of Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, Kumble can only come back as the side's second spinner. And there have been occasions, especially on foreign soil, that India have played only one spin bowler. So it is a challenging - if unfamiliar - scenario that lies ahead for Kumble. How well he rises to the occasion could well determine his future.

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