Kumble gets thumbs up from ex-skippers

New Delhi: Never in the history of the game has anyone made his debut as captain after playing as many as 118 Test matches.

Anil Kumble brought the experience of 17 years of international cricket into the job when he led the team on the first day of the first Test against Pakistan at the Ferozeshah Kotla on Friday and former captains, who are in the playing XI, are impressed with the veteran leg-spinner's debut at the helm.

The coin didn't fall in his favour but Kumble wasn't crestfallen.

"It is great feeling. It is an honour to be captain of India," Kumble said after the toss.

Kumble left the emotion behind in the dressing room and did not take long to warm to the job. There were three former captains - Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav and Rahul Dravid - to lead and the most successful of them had words of high praise for Jumbo.

"He handled the field placements very well and most importantly made the me bowl. That was very good," Ganguly said.

In fact the decision to bowl Ganguly proved to be a masterstroke as he used the conditions superbly; choking the runs and picking up the big wicket of Mohammad Yousuf.

"He used the bowlers very well. Immediately he brought in Sourav Ganguly and Ganguly got him a wicket. That's what you need. Some deadly changes and one or two wickets and that changes the complexion of the game," former India skipper Krish Srikkanth said.

And although Kumble's own bowling was as penetrative as ever; earning him four wickets, he resisted the temptation to over bowl himself.

"He did a great job. He brought himself in and got the wickets. Bringing Sourav Ganguly on and getting Yousuf's wicket was a key factor," former Pakistan skipper Waqar Younis said.

Tougher days than the first one at Kotla will inevitably come but Kumble left no one in any doubt that he will be up to the challenge.