Kumble may return for Sri Lanka series

Kunal Pradhan

India's world record-equalling spinner Anil Kumble says he may return from injury for his country's three-Test series in Sri Lanka in August.

Kumble, considered one of the world's best leg spinners, underwent shoulder surgery in January and has not played any competitive cricket since withdrawing midway through a triangular one-day tournament in Sharjah last October.

"Playing against Sri Lanka is a possibility but I don't want to rush it," Kumble said from Bangalore on Friday.

"I am bowling regularly now (in the nets). There are no problems as such, I don't even need to see a doctor regularly now," he said.

India travel to Sri Lanka in July and will play a triangular one-day series also involving New Zealand before the first Test starts in Galle on August 14.

Kumble, who with 276 wickets is India's second highest Test wicket-taker behind Kapil Dev's 434, resumed bowling in the nets last month.

But the former Leicestershire and Northamptonshire player, who captured all 10 Pakistani second-innings wickets in a Test in Delhi in February 1999 to equal the world record of England's Jim Laker, said he would know how ready he was only when he bowled in a match.

"My shoulder is getting along, there is lots of improvement but I may not be ready for competitive cricket for another two months," he said.

"I plan to start playing competitive cricket sometime next month. I feel strong but we'll know more after that."

Kumble opted for surgery after physiotherapy failed to solve the problem and he experienced severe pain when bowling.

He missed India's stunning 2-1 series victory over Australia earlier this year, but gave some useful tips to off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who picked up 32 wickets in the three Tests.

He also opted out of India's current tour of Zimbabwe, where the visitors won the first of two Tests last week for their first test win outside the sub-continent in 15 years.

India travel to South Africa after the Sri Lanka series and then host England in the northern hemisphere winter.

Mail Cricket Editor