A tale of two injuries and two comebacks - the story of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh

An individual’s misfortune can open a window of opportunity for someone else. This holds good in all walks of life. More so in the cricketing circuit, where the competition is immense, and more often than not, we’ve at least two or more players competing for a spot.

We’ve had two such instances involving two of India’s great modern-day spinners, where an injury to one bowler has helped the other resurrect his career. Ironically, both instances have been eerily similar.

Anil Kumble’s shoulder injury (2000/01) - Harbhajan’s comeback

India’s spin mainstay, leg-spinner Anil Kumble injured his shoulder in October 2000 during the tri-series involving Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in Sharjah. And the severity of the injury was such that it needed surgery to fix his shoulder, meaning he wouldn’t be able to bowl for at least 4-6 months.

While the injury itself was unfortunate, it provided a few young spinners waiting in the wings with an opportunity to make their mark. India played a one-off Test in Dhaka against Bangladesh and two tests against Zimbabwe at home, with the spin trio of Murali Karthik, Sarandeep Singh and Sunil Joshi.

Though India won both the series, none of the spinners impressed. With the high-profile Border-Gavaskar series slated next for February 2001, the absence of an effective spinner gave the then newly-appointed captain Sourav Ganguly a lot to ponder.

And in these unusual circumstances, his eyes turned towards a young Harbhajan Singh, who was barely 20 and had played his last test in November 1999. After a fallout with the NCA authorities in 2000, the Punjab spinner was disciplined and was off the selectors’ radar for a year.

However, he was still a part of the India-A setup. His 5 wickets for the 'A' side against the touring Aussies in a practice game convinced Ganguly, and he persuaded the selectors to consider Harbhajan for the Test series.

And from nowhere, the maverick off-spinner came back into the Indian team after a year’s hiatus. Then, as luck would have it, Harbhajan impressed one and all with his career-altering 32 wickets in 3 tests, leading India to a famous 2-1 series victory against Steve Waugh’s mighty Australia.

He never looked back after that, going from strength to strength, picking wickets aplenty across the globe. The Turbanator currently has 417 Test wickets to his name from 103 Tests and has etched his name in the annals of Indian cricket as one of the greats.

Harbhajan’s finger injury 2003/04 - Anil Kumble’s second wind

Ever since Anil Kumble was dropped from the playing eleven for the Trinidad Test in 2002, it was clear that Sourav Ganguly’s first-choice spinner for overseas Tests was Harbhajan Singh. Kumble also missed out on the Lord’s Test and the New Zealand tour in 2002.

By the end of the 2002/03 season, it was pretty apparent that Kumble, despite 300-plus test wickets then, had fallen behind young Harbhajan in the pecking order. Later, Kumble barely managed to make it to the Australian tour in 2003/04 and, as expected, did not find a place in the eleven for the first Test at the Gabba.

However, Harbhajan injured his index finger during the first test and was advised to undergo surgery. The injury to the lead off-spinner helped Kumble reclaim the lone spinner spot for the overseas Tests.

Kumble, in his comeback Test at Adelaide, picked up a six-wicket haul in the first innings, dismissed the dangerous-looking Gilchrist in the second innings, playing a crucial part in the famous victory. He ended the series with 24 wickets in 3 Tests with an impressive 12-wicket haul at the SCG.

From there, his confidence grew by leaps and bounds, and the rejuvenated Kumble picked up 15 wickets in the subsequent Pakistan tour, leading India to its first-ever series victory (2-1) on Pakistan soil.

It was indeed a jumbo comeback of sorts from the ace leg-spinner. And it was the beginning of the second wind for the great Anil Kumble. From there, he played consistently until 2008 as the lead spinner; later, he was also elevated to the position of captain and ended up with 619 wickets - the most by an Indian - from 132 Tests.

Would Harbhajan have received an opportunity had Kumble been fit in 2001? Would Kumble have got another chance to make a comeback if not for Harbhajan’s injury in 2003? No one can tell.

But there’s no denying that both of these unfortunate injuries opened a window of opportunity for the discard. How well have both the greats resurrected themselves when their careers were at crossroads and served India with great distinction. Cricket is indeed a game of glorious uncertainties.