Parthiv selected for his keeping skills: Kumble

Parthiv selected for his keeping skills Kumble

Having a spin bowling legend as the head coach was a calculated move by India ahead of their busy home season where the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Co. play a dominant part. What is also important is having a safe wicketkeeper, which Anil Kumble is clearly aware of.

In an era when wicketkeepers' runs scored form a massive part of the discussion, India have steadily gone the other route. Wriddhiman Saha bats lower than Ashwin in Tests and when he pulled up with an injury, India opted for the 31-year old Parthiv Patel as his replacement. This was in a season where a 19-year old Rishab Pant is setting the Ranji Trophy ablaze with 874 runs at an average of 97.11.

Kumble though emphasised that Parthiv's proven wicketkeeping skills pushed him ahead in the pecking order. "I think it's unfortunate that Saha is missing out in this Test match," Kumble said on Thursday (November 24). "He had a strain on the final day of the Test match. He was obviously in the starting the line-up for this but the scans yesterday showed that there was a little bit of tendonitis, that's why it was better that we gave him a break from this Test match. Parthiv has been really consistent, both in his keeping as well as batting. That's why Parthiv was chosen.

"Yes, Rishabh has certainly shown the exuberance and what a young cricketer can bring in. He has shown a lot of his batting skills. He has obviously got a lot of runs this season in the domestic circuit. But Parthiv was chosen for his keeping skills as well, keeping and his experience. Regarding Dinesh, at the moment I don't think Dinesh is keeping wickets for Tamil Nadu, and I am not sure why that is the case. But at the moment, from what I gather, he has not been keeping wickets for Tamil Nadu," Kumble added.

Kumble also stressed that he wasn't too fussed about the conditions that will be on offer. The PCA IS Bindra stadium - the venue for the third Test - which once had a reputation of being the most fast-bowler friendly pitch in India, has changed colour over the years. Last year's Test against South Africa was a testament as to how much it has digressed from its early reputation.

"Certainly gone a lot slower to what it probably used to be in the 90s. But having said that, I am someone who certainly does not give too much importance to the conditions. We need to play good cricket. I certainly believe that we played good cricket, both in Rajkot and in Vizag. That's why we are 1-0 ahead in the series. We will have to do that again, repeat that again in Mohali, no matter what the conditions are. Like I said over the years, I think it has certainly gone slightly slower, not necessarily the way it used to be in the early 90s," said Kumble.

The spinners form a big part of keeping Kumble a busy man on practice days, and he clearly enjoys his role with them. Eight years since his retirement, the former legspinner still cannot resist a bowl when given a chance. Ravindra Jadeja's approach to spinners in the nets mirrors that of a batsman intending to score 20 an over. None of his team-mates are spared but one person who manages to regularly keep him in check continues to be Kumble. Jadeja switches to only defensive shots while playing against India's highest wicket-taker in Tests.

The respect shown is obvious but it might just be a subtle way of getting one of the lower-order batsman to improve his defensive technique. While his tussles with Jadeja continue to keep him engaged, Kumble is also impressed with the newest one in the turnstile, offspinner Jayant Yadav and his approach with the bat and the ball on debut has left the coach showering him with praise.

"Very impressed. The interactions that I have had, he comes across as a very balanced individual. Probably he had a dream debut. He contributed with bat and ball and also had a brilliant fielding effort in the first innings. Overall you can't ask for more. And the team goes on and wins the game as well," Kumble said of Jayant's performance in Vizag.

"But as a youngster coming into this team, he showed a lot of character, a lot of maturity although he was playing his first match in the way handled batting with the lower order. Even in the second innings, batting with Shami and getting those 30-40 runs right at the end showed a lot of maturity. The way he bowled was quite impressive. It really augurs well for Indian cricket that someone whose just come into the team has really shown that kind of a approach," said Kumble.

The coach also decided against giving any credence to the rumours of ball-tampering floating around, against Virat Kohli, in the aftermath of the Mintgate saga involving South Africa's skipper Faf du Plessis in Australia. The questions arose after a video emerged of Kohli shining the ball after sticking a finger in his mouth.

"First of all, I don't want to react to any report that is in the media. As far as I am concerned, neither the umpires nor match referee never ever came to us talking about it. Even for someone like Faf du Plessis, South Africa has played exceptional cricket to beat Australia 2-0 and to be told that this ball tampering or whatever, I think it is very silly.

"It's making a mountain out of a molehill. Something we would certainly not like to give too much wind to the story. As far as I am concerned, there is nothing to worry about. People can allege and write whatever they want in the media. As far as we are concerned, there is absolutely nothing that any of our players were a part of," Kumble said.