Kumble gears up for Kotla show !!

His perfect 10 at the same venue against the same opponents now cricketing lore, Anil Kumble would renew his tryst with Ferozeshah Kotla when he makes his debut as Indian captain in the first of the three Test matches against Pakistan starting here from Thursday.

Given a choice, Kumble would have loved to roll the 22-yard Kotla strip, pack it in his bag and take it home after he claimed all 10 wickets in Pakistan's second innings in that unforgettable second Test in 1999.

Since then, Kumble has become one of the most senior players in the dressing room, and when he walks out for the toss with counterpart Shoaib Malik, he would expect the Kotla to be as benign as it was eight years ago.

The beginning, however, has not been auspicious. The bowling attack lost some of its teeth and firepower with the vastly improved RP Singh and highly inflammable S Sreesanth reduced to benchwarmers by injuries.

RP has been in red hot form since the UK tour, while Sreesanth proved he is as much a wicket-taker with the ball as a rabble-rouser with his antics.

Though Munaf Patel and Ishant Sharma have been rushed in as cover, the void would be hard to fill. Till Munaf joined the squad, Kumble had at his disposal two pacers Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan against three spinners Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik and himself.

Yuvraj Singh may have set the shorter version of the game alight to emerge as India's middle order mainstay but the dashing left-hander would spend the first Test against Pakistan warming the bench with VVS Laxman in action, hinted captain Anil Kumble.

Addressing his first pre-match press conference as India's Test captain, a forthright Kumble said it was unfortunate but Yuvraj would have to wait before he became a regular in the Test squad.

"It's tough to leave him out. He is in tremendous form and is a quality player who is important for the side. But I guess he would have to wait a bit before he becomes a regular member of the Test squad."