Captain Kumble did everything right

New Delhi: Till the eve of the first Test, it looked that fate had conspired against Anil Kumble in his first Test as India captain.

India suffered a body blow with injuries ruling out fast bowlers S Sreesanth and RP Singh. However, the skies cleared up (the cloudy morning might have indicated otherwise) for a fruitful beginning, as Zaheer Khan removed opener Salman Butt early on the opening morning. The joy doubled no sooner, as the left-arm pacer got rid of Younis Khan, who has often proved to be a thorn in India's flesh of late.

And then, the veteran leg-spinner came in to his own. Kumble had got all 10 from the pavilion end in 1999, but he brought himself on as first change from the Tata End. The result: the leg-spinner outdid Yasir Hameed to scalp his first Test victim as India captain.

India tightened the screws on Pakistan further. Mohammad Yousuf's recent form could easily be described as ominous, and despite the precarious situation Pakistan found themselves in, he could turn the tide on the visitors' favour anytime.

Sourav Ganguly's military mediums have deceived the best of the lot, and Kumble's decision to bring him on for a second spell proved to be a master move. The former India captain scalped the dangerous Yousuf, trapped leg before as India had their tails up and twitching.

The picture painted by the Indian bowlers might have reflected devils at the Kotla wicket, but it was largely Pakistan's own doing that saw them collapse. Save the dismissal of Kamran Akmal, which might hint at things to come during the fourth innings (Kumble had him bowled with the one that kept low), the visiting team perhaps reflected the uncomfortable and quick shift from One-Day cricket to Tests.

The Pakistani wicketkeeper-batsman, in the limelight for all the wrong reasons, displayed signs of his former self during last year's Karachi Test, when he bludgeoned the Indian bowlers en route to an 81-ball hundred. He raced away to 30 but captain Kumble couldn't put a foot wrong on Thursday. The third highest wicket-taker in Tests got Akmal for his 50th at one of his favourite venues in just his sixth Test.

Though India would have loved to take guard on the first day after a splendid bowling performance typified by their new captain, Misbah-ul-Haq remained glued to the wicket ably assisted by No. 9 batsman Mohammad Sami, to quash most of the hard work of the Indians.

Nonetheless, on the first day of his 119th Test and first as captain, Anil Kumble led his side by example.