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KUMBLE'S VIEWS ON WIN OVER WINDIES
Anil Kumble
I was fortunate enough to win the match and come back home right on time for
the delivery of the baby. So it is a double treat.Not really, because we came
pretty close to a lot of overseas victories before. We did win a couple of Test
matches and we came pretty close even on my fist trip to the West Indies in
1997, when we had to score 120 runs in Barbados but it was pretty disappointing
not to get those runs.
And even in the last series we were leading in the West Indies but we lost the
next Test, which was also the last match. So it was very important for us to get
that victory and 16 years is a long wait to get an overseas victory.
I mean it's a nice feeling to be contributing to the team's success and at
the end of the day I had to bowl a lot of overs, because the wickets were pretty
flat, especially in the three Test matches, other than the Jamaica wicket which
had a bit in it for the bowlers.
And in all those three Test matches I had to bowl a lot of overs. I was the lone
spinner in the first two Test matches. But at the end of it, being the top
wicket taker and contributing towards a series victory was very satisfying
Yes I think in Antigua we did really well to come back into the Test match
after being on the back foot for the first two days. It's never easy to get back
into a Test match when you have a 130-plus runs deficit going into the second
innings. But Wasim Jaffer played a brilliant knock to get us to a score from
where we could win the Test match and from then we came pretty close. But again,
St Lucia was very disappointing because if we had that one day's play - the
fourth day which was crucial - I think would have certainly got the right
result.
So when you look back, you think of all those things. Sometimes you do get those
negative thoughts. Even in the One-Day series was very close we should have won
the second One-Dayer. But again Jamaica was another opportunity which I didn't
want to lose out on because the next Test series in the West Indies is six years
down the line. So it was important for me to go out there and do the job.
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