Criticism levelled at Indian bowlers justified: Anil Kumble

Former India captain Anil Kumble has said that the current Indian bowling attack has quality but the management should look at bowlers who can adjust well to the Test format before drafting them into the side. The former leg-spinner added that 'some portion of the criticism' that was levelled at the Indian attack after their Test series in Australia was justified and that their lack of ability in picking 20 wickets can be overcome by monitoring the bowlers regularly. 

"Some portion of the criticism is justified. We have the quality of bowlers, it's just trying to see who can adjust to the Test format and then choosing your best four bowlers who you think can pick up 20 wickets, that's also been an issue," Kumble said, in an interview to ESPNCricinfo.

Kumble said that India have also suffered from going into overseas tour with a pre-planned idea about how their bowling attack should be shaped. He said the side would benefit more from having a look at the wicket and the conditions before deciding the bowling set-up, even if it is one that is seldom used in the country they're in.

"We have gone into this theory of three seamers and one spinner the moment we sit on an aircraft which travels more than seven hours - that's the mindset. If your 20 wickets are going to come with two spinners and two fast bowlers, so be it. If it comes with three spinners and one fast bowler so be it," the 44-year-old said. "So, who got wickets for Australia (in Adelaide) then? If you look at the top two bowlers, it was one spinner and one fast bowler."

Kumble, India's leading wicket-taker in Tests and ODIs with 619 and 337 wickets respectively, said the best way for bowlers to get batsmen out in Tests these days is to be disciplined and dry up the runs for the opposition.

"Test cricket is all about building pressure and how you can sustain it, the longer you can sustain the pressure, the more successful you can be. Generally, today's batsmen tend to look for runs, more than what it used to be maybe five, ten years ago. The trend is that disciplined bowlers tend to get you wickets The more disciplined you are with the line and length, you will keep the runs down and that is the best way to get wickets because generally speaking, the scoring rate has been more than four runs an over," Kumble said.