Legendary spinner Anil Kumble, concerned over the current imbalance in favor of batsmen in cricket, says that he wants the balance between bat and ball to be restored. Kumble suggests, like measures increasing the size of boundaries and improving the seam of the white ball, are necessary to counter the struggle of the bowlers in modern-day cricket.
With as many as eight instances of teams crossing the 250-run mark this season so far, Kumble, echoes former India captain Sunil Gavaskar's view in saying that the boundaries should be maximized across all venues in IPL. He even suggests removing the dugout to the stands and taking away a few chairs in exchange for getting this balance right.
However, Kumble is insistent on more pronounced seam on the white ball to ensure that it swings and moves, which is important if a bowler has to remain competitive. Kumble says that bowling has become less attractive to the young cricketers and therefore, the need of the hour is to nurture bowlers as the essence of the game is getting lost.
On the sudden change in captaincy of Mumbai Indians, where Rohit Sharma was replaced by Hardik Pandya, Kumble feels that the transition could have been smoother, may be after the mega auctions next year. Kumble, however, feels that Mumbai Indians could not deliver commendable performances on the field even when there was a change in leadership.
On Shubman Gill's captaincy for Gujarat Titans, Kumble says he was an aggressive captain but the team's setback due to injuries, especially the loss of a crucial player like Shami, was definitely a setback. On the spin options of India in the T-20 World Cup, Kumble says he expects Kuldeep Yadav to lead the spin attack with Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja to support him. He adds that spinners could make a telling difference in the tournament and hence expects them to play a crucial role in India's campaign.
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