Anil Kumble's last series against Pakistan in Pakistan last year was a very rewarding experience for him. But the same cannot be said about the meeting between the two teams in India in 1999, when despite his historic 10-wicket haul, India could only draw the series.
This time though the Bangalore-based bowler wants to even the score and help India achieve victory at home.
In the second part of an extensive interview with Senior Cricket Correspondent Ashish Magotra, Kumble reveals how he eagerly awaits the series with Pakistan.
Part I: '500 wickets is a very realistic target'
Danish Kaneria seems to be a very exciting prospect and his good performance on the tour of Australia would have certainly helped his confidence.
He is a very good bowler who gives the ball a decent rip. He doesn't bowl in a very traditional manner but is more like Mushtaq (Ahmed). He is very attacking and continues to attack no matter what. I wouldn't say we need to be wary of him, but we certainly need to keep him down. We are generally good players of spin but he is a good bowler, no doubt about that. In his time as an international cricketer he has proved he can be a match winner.
There is a place in Bangalore known as the Anil Kumble Circle. Just a few days ago, six years passed to the day that you took 10 wickets in an innings against Pakistan. What memories do you have of that day?
It is going to be special, very special. No matter where I end up in terms of wickets or the number of matches that I play, I think people will always remember me taking 10 wickets. So it is something that is always going to be special for me and for Indian cricket.
Even the circle that you mentioned is very special because it is not often that somebody gets recognised in that way by his own people. It makes you very humble and it is a very prominent place in Bangalore; very close to the stadium and just round the corner.
What do you feel is the most important quality for a bowler plying his trade on Indian wickets?
You need to change a bit. People are a lot more positive now. You tend to find that people are attacking most of the time. So you need to lay emphasis on your fielding placements. Other than that you don't need to bowl very differently from what you bowl in any other part of the world.
You need to be accurate -- that is the key.
Whatever the variations you try, your length has to be good or else you will be finished. So on Indian wickets, I think you need to be accurate and be at the batsman at all times.
Does pressure affect you?
No, I don't think I look at pressure as pressure. I feel the only way you feel the pressure is when you think it is an important match or series. If you feel that every time you go out into the middle the match is important then pressure ceases to exit. The way I handle it is by preparing for any match in the same way. I stick to a routine and I stick to it no matter whether I am playing a Ranji Trophy game or an international game.
Do you have any kind of special fitness routine?
I try and control the number of overs that I bowl in the nets and during a series because I know have to bowl a lot during the series which I didn't do probably six, eight years ago. Earlier, I would just go and bowl in the nets till the batsman said, I have had enough. So that's something that I did.
Now I am very careful about what I do leading into a series. As long as I am confident and as long as I feel that yes, I have done enough to succeed, I know I will be okay.
The Pakistan tour is a huge challenge. Have you ever thought of targeting their best batsmen?
I definitely have it in mind. But I don't see the need to be vocal about it. I know I need to get people out and sometimes I get all the ten (grins).
But I am not somebody who will go to the press and say I am targeting someone. Maybe, I should do it. It's time I targeted batsmen.
So whom are you targeting for the series against Pakistan?
You generally target the best players of the opposition. And, certainly, Inzamam (-ul Haq) is their best. He is a class act and can change the game. The Pakistan batting depends on him and Yousuf Youhana a lot. Those two guys hold the team together. In Pakistan, when we lost the Test at Lahore, these two guys made the difference. They are all good players but these two guys have the experience of playing in India. The others have played a few ODIs but no Test matches.
Glenn McGrath makes it a point to name his target before every series. Do you think it is just gamesmanship?
The press sometimes also looks to highlight things that he says. He may not mean them in that way. If you are the top bowler in your team, you need to get the top batsman in the opposition. So it is expected and people just highlight that particular bit and make it sound like it is gamesmanship. Even the opposition knows who is the best bowler and who you need to be wary of. Everybody is aware of it.
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