Kumble relives memories of Perfect 10

MARCH 29: No, the Indians haven't taken the first flight home! Thoughyoungsters Mohammad Kaif and S Sriram, scheduled to play the Ranji Tr...

MARCH 29: No, the Indians haven’t taken the first flight home! Thoughyoungsters Mohammad Kaif and S Sriram, scheduled to play the Ranji Trophyquarter-finals beginning on March 30, left for home on Tuesday, the restwere present at the glittering launch of Anil Kumble’s Perfect 10, a videocassette bringing back memories of his 10-wicket spell against thePakistanis last year.

Throwing in a splash of colour was the elite gathering. Besides the Indians,some members of the Pakistan and South African teams were also present tocongratulate Kumble, as were the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series presidentSheikh Adbul Rehman Bukhatir and co-ordinator Asif Iqbal, Indian coach KapilDev and wife Romi Dev, former Indian all-rounder Mohinder Amarnath, formerPakistan skipper and now the UAE coach Mushtaq Mohammad and a host of otherdignitaries.

Kumble, a nervous smile on his face, said he didn’t believe he had achievedthe feat. “What I remember though, is my teammates hugging and carrying meon their shoulders,” the shy leg-spinner said. The India skipper duringthat historic match, Mohammad Azharuddin recounted Kumble’s feat and placedit alongside some of the other cricketing feats he was a witness to SunilGavaskar scoring his 10,000th Test run at Ahmedabad against Pakistan in1986-87, Kapil “Paaji” breaking Sir Richard Hadlee’s bowling record, alsoat Ahmedabad in 1993-94 and Sachin Tendulkar’s “magnificent century(against Australia in 1098-99) at Chennai”.

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DAY OFF: For most of the South African cricketers, enjoying anoff-day, Dubai was the destination point. With only three days left for theShopping Festival, visitors thronged the city in hordes. Goods are beingsold at throw-away prices and the stores, supermarkets and hyper-marketshardly have space to accommodate shoppers.

But nothing deters the shoppers. Gold, electronic and household goods aregoing very cheap and it’s amazing how fast the sold items are being replacedat the shelves. The South African cricketers, with wives and girlfriends intow, surely had a ball, as the dozens of shopping bags in their hotel lobbywould suggest.

DESERT’S PRIDE: Meet Mohammad Jamil, a Pakistani national, whodecided to setle down in Sharjah once cricket was added to the petro-richdesert land. “This (Sharjah Stadium) was a barren piece of land in theearly 80s. We first laid a wicket and once the tournament took off, therehas been no stopping us. This is one of the best grounds in the world,” thecurator says with pride. He attributes the low-scoring games so far in thecompetition to continuous use. “We have to relay the wickets now”, hesaid.