07 October 2004	Thursday	21 Shaban 1425

BANGALORE, Oct 6: Indian leg-spinner Anil Kumble gave home fans plenty to cheer about on Wednesday when he capped a glorious career by becoming the ninth bowler in Test history to scalp 400 wickets.

Kumble, who turns 34 on Oct 17, reached the milestone when he bowled Australian batsman Simon Katich on the first day of the opening Test and entered the record books as the second Indian after Kapil Dev to breach the 400-barrier.

"It's a great honour to be a part of the 400-club," said Kumble, the third spinner in the world to achieve the feat. "I think self-belief and perseverance are the keys to my success. I like to give my 100 per cent. I always try to offer something new with each delivery and keep it simple.

"It was a pleasure to get to the mark at my home ground as my wife, mother and other relatives and friends were here to watch the match. I thought I owed it them. "It has been a long, hard career. It took a lot of overs to get to 400. The shoulder injury was a hurdle and once I got over that I was expecting to get to the mark."

The spinner, who missed the last home Test series against Australia in 2001 due to the injury, had been keen to make an instant impression against a formidable Australian batting line-up for more than one reason.

He won more matches for India than any other bowler with his unconventional style. But critics branded him a "bad-wicket bowler" capable of succeeding only on low, slow and uneven home tracks.

They cite the disparity between Kumble's home record (235 wickets in 41 Tests before this match) and away (162/43) to prove the point. But Kumble is made of stern stuff, never allowing criticism to affect his performance and monk-like dedication.

The critics were forced to eat their words when Kumble nearly won a four-Test series in Australia last season in the absence of injured off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, finishing with 24 wickets in three matches.

The series ended in a 1-1 stalemate but Kumble proved that he could be a match-winner away from home too. If further proof were needed, it came immediately after the Australia series.

India missed Harbhajan on their historic trip to Pakistan in March-April, but were again served by Kumble who grabbed six wickets in the opening Test at Multan to craft his team's maiden success in that country.

Kumble finished with 15 wickets in three matches as India won their first Test series in Pakistan. The leg spinner is not a huge turner of the ball like Australian Shane Warne or Pakistani Mushtaq Ahmed. He relies more on his speed through the air, uncanny accuracy and clever variations.

He is sometimes virtually unplayable on home pitches. His best performance came at Delhi in 1999 when he became the second bowler after Englishman Jim Laker to grab 10 wickets in a Test innings.

Before the series in Australia and Pakistan, Kumble had suffered a frustrating patch, especially in away Test matches where he was axed on a few occasions to accommodate Harbhajan in the team's one-spinner theory. -AFP