It has been a busy last few days for Anil Kumble as he settles into his role as India’s 30th Test captain. His first test -- and Test -- as Indian skipper is just over a week away, against Pakistan at his beloved Feroze Shah Kotla.
In this chat with Deccan Herald, the 37-year-old reflects on the challenges the job offers, and his philosophy on what captaincy is all about. Excerpts:

You are essentially a very private person, yet the captaincy requires you to be a very public figure...

It has been pretty hectic already with the media, and attending to calls! But it has been nice, I am slowly settling in. I am someone who would look to go about what the job demands. As captain, the job demands that you need to be available.

I will still be myself, I don't think I can change overnight. Whatever the job as captain demands, I will certainly do that. But I will also ensure that I will prioritise and get the job done. On the field, nothing much changes. It's just that you need to make certain decisions and stick to them, ensure that you keep the rest of the guys motivated to perform, ensure that they play to their potential. And when the ball is in your hand, you try and do the job that you have always been doing.

Batsmen-captain have said when they go out to bat, it is as a batsman and not as the captain. Is it possible to separate the bowler from the captain?

It's a part of me to switch on and switch off. It is important to do that -- as a bowler, you are concentrating on the bowling. The field placement obviously comes in.

But whether you are captain or not, you are thinking about field placements, how to get the batsman out, what are the best areas to get the batsman out, what are the field changes you need to make.

You are always constantly thinking when you are the bowler. As captain, it is the same thing, except that you are not just thinking about yourself but thinking for the other bowlers too. That's the only difference, and that is not going to affect me in any way.

How do you do that, switching off and switching on?

It is something which probably comes naturally to me. Once I go on to the field, I tend to forget about the rest of the things that your mind is otherwise occupied with. I try and keep that away and ensure that I concentrate on the job at hand.

The response to your being named captain has been exceptional...

It has been. I am really thankful and grateful to all those people who have shown so much faith. The reactions have been overwhelming in terms of the way they have said you deserve it and it should have come a lot earlier.

It's a great feeling. It's every cricketer's dream to be the captain of his country. To be chosen and told okay, you are the person who is going to lead the team, is very special. I am really very, very honoured.

The Indian captaincy is such a high-pressure job. What is it that still attracts people to it?

Everybody likes to be looked up to as a leader. To make those decisions, to motivate your side to do well as a team. Yes, there are challenges, pressures -- mostly off the field. Time management is going to be the key.

But Test cricket, I guess, is a lot more easier in the sense that you can switch off from the rest of the world once the game starts. As regards captaincy, you feel that you have certain ideas, a different perspective to the game.

You would like to bring that about, bring the change and hopefully, it will work. You believe that there are certain things that will work well not just for you but for the team.

You have been with the team for the last 16-17 years, you know that if these changes are made, the team will get better. And I am hoping that whatever I bring in, it is important for Indian cricket to look ahead and move on.

It is imporant to realise that it is a team sport and that team goals are most important. My aim is to ensure that team ethic comes through, and it filters down to even the cricketer playing in the streets. He should realise that yes, tomorrow if I go on to play for India, these are the qualities that are required of me to ensure that once I get there, I am ready.

Was not being the Indian captain a lacuna in your CV?

It's something for other people to judge. Yes, it is always nice to be known as captain of India because it is a very elite list of people who have donned that cap. To join that list, it is very special because once you have given up the game, you are always looked at as an Indian captain. I am really happy this honour has come to me.

It has taken a while, but better late than never. I have believed that if it has to come, it will come. If you had asked me three months ago whether this will come, I would have said no. It has come because of the circumstances, and it is challenging because the way Indian cricket is right at the moment, it is really good. It augurs well for us to look ahead. We have the talent and potential in us for Indian cricket to move forward.

The third from Karnataka to be Indian Test captain...

It is something very special. From Karnataka, we have had GR Viswanath and Rahul, who have done exceptionally well in their fields, not just as batsmen but also as captains. It is a tradition that I need to follow, and hopefully I will do a good job.

Has captaincy sort of extended your international career?

I think so, the motivation is there now. This has definitely come as a shot in the arm. It is tough to look too far ahead, but this has certainly extended my views on how to go about my career. I would like to take things as they come. Initially, I would like to concentrate on these three Tests against Pakistan and then look ahead.

But how have you kept the fire burning all these years?

It is tough as years go by, but the motivation is there. As long as I think I am bowling well and I am able to perform consistently, the way I have been doing for the last 17-18 years, I will keep playing. When I feel it is time to leave, I wouldn't like to hang around. This has come as a great motivation to me, to give back what I have learnt from my experiences over the last 17-18 years and share that and cultivate a team ethic that will take Indian cricket forward.

Not so long back, they said spin was a dying craft. Now we have two spinners leading their respective countries in Vettori and yourself.

Spin definitely plays an important role in international cricket. If you look at the top three wicket-takers in Test cricket, all three are spinners. Even in the shorter format, even in T20, you had Vettori, Harbhajan and Afridi playing really well. It is something which I am proud of -- that a spinner is there on top, and I would like to see that continuing.