'Happy with what we have done'

President Anil Kumble and his group not to seek re-election in the upcoming KSCA polls

The decision by the Anil Kumble-led ruling group to not to contest in the forthcoming Karnataka State Cricket Association elections did come as a surprise, if not a shock.

In a press meet at the Chinnaswamy stadium, also attended by former India captain Rahul Dravid, KSCA secretary Javagal Srinath, president Kumble made his panel’s move known that would have caught even their rivals unawares. 

While they had a number of achievements to list in the last three years, their regime wasn’t without its detractors. Kumble, however, maintained that criticism didn’t force them to exit. “I had to manage criticism right through my career,” noted Kumble here on Friday.

“In fact, I keep mentioning this to everybody that post my retirement, after 619 wickets, people asked me how does it feel to finish on 619 without spinning a ball! That criticism remained through my career. All of us faced criticism through our careers.

“Criticism is something which makes you stronger. Whatever we set out to do has been done here, it is for the next set of people to take it forward. We are not going away, we are there. We don’t need to have a position in the association to be able to do what we need to do but more or less, whatever we set out to do three years ago, we have done.

We have done your work in three years and we have shown what can be done in three years,” he remarked.

Secretary Javagal Srinath echoed Kumble’s sentiments. “When you play about numbers and if you don’t get wickets, you are criticised. If you have numbers, it’s fine. But administration is a matter of perception. There are people -- if you build something big, it is too big, if you build something small, it is too small. Anybody can criticise, that’s fine.”

The former pace sensation didn’t feel they were abandoning the ship after some good work. “We were very clear in our minds that we would come for only one term, we were 100% sure about that,” he stressed.

“In a crucial period of our lives, we came in and took this up. You know why we came, what the situation was. We said we will come in and do whatever we can in three years. It is like a wheel. People come, some do two rounds, some four. Who knows, the next committee might do ten rounds. But as long as cricket is progressing, we are happy,” he explained.

The present KSCA managing committee also released a book, detailing their work during the three-year tenure. “This book is not a completed project,” said Kumble. “We have taken international cricket to three places (India A-West Indies A matches in Mysore, Shimoga and Hubli).

Soon, Raichur, Belgaum will be ready and the others will see a little more development. This stadium (Chinnaswamy) was not built in one year. 80 percent of the stadium has permanent seats now. Out of that 80 percent, 75% was done in the last three years. It is a constant process. This stadium is still incomplete. We can’t achieve everything in three years, nor those people who will sit here for 20 years and churn the same wheel. We would want fresh ideas, and we are there,” he elaborated.

When asked if his decision to not to contest KSCA elections was linked to his rumoured entry into politics, Kumble asked not to attach any motives behind his move. “The KSCA administration needed changes, cricket needed changes. KSCA is not only about Bangalore but the entire state.

We needed infrastructure everywhere that is there in Bangalore. We are happy with what we have done. Our wish is that the next people should take it to the next level. It is a privilege for us to be a part of the association, to come and contribute. There are 2000 members. I certainly urge anyone of those 2000 members to come and contribute.

It is certainly not my personal fiefdom or somebody else’s and run the association the way they want to. In this day and age, cricket is seen as something beyond the game itself. We are moving on, happy with what we have done,” he opined.