Kumble's Wide Angle promises perfect ten

The book has candid and rarely seen shots of India’s cricketers off the field, in celebratory mode as well as in team-building exercises. “As long as I am in the team, you will have no privacy is what I had told my team-mates!” Kumble laughed. “I hope they have some privacy now that I have retired.”

The book isn’t only about cricketers off the field. Armed with Canon equipment, Kumble has brought nature and wildlife into sharp focus. “I have enjoyed putting this book together and hope you all will find it a compelling experience,” said Kumble as an admiring Warne looked on. “I have always been fascinated by photographs. Photographs say a thousand words.

“Cricket is such a passion, so much that cricketers do and more often what they don’t do gets written about. I thought why not bring out a compilation of rare events on tour. This book will give you some insight into what happens in a cricketer’s life outside of the game itself.”

Kumble’s fascination for photography is more than two decades old, its origin dating back to when he travelled to Srinagar for a national under-17 camp and was presented with an aim-and-shoot camera by older brother Diinesh.

“You could say the bug started then,” a beaming Kumble said. “I have always had a camera with me on every tour after that.”With the camera as a constant and loyal companion, photography came to be a ‘stress-buster’ on tours for the former Indian skipper. “During non-match days, I would get away and take photos of the sights and sounds,” observed Kumble.

“Throughout my journey, there have been many characters among my team-mates -- Venkatapathi Raju, Javagal Srinath, Vinod Kambli and more recently Harbhajan Singh have ensured that there has always been entertainment.”
Brought out with support from the Royal Challengers and Canvera, the book is priced at Rs 5,900 and is available for purchase exclusively on http://wideangle.canvera.com.