“A giant who rose beyond the call of duty: VVS Laxman pays rich tribute to Anil Kumble

Former Indian batsman, VVS Laxman on Saturday, revealed that in coming days he would be paying tribute to his teammates who have left an influence on him. Laxman said that he would share the lessons he learnt from those few cricketers who really inspired him during his playing days.

The former middle-order batsman revealed the information on the microblogging website Twitter.

“I have been very fortunate throughout my career to have played alongside men who inspired through their deeds. There are lessons to be learnt, like I did, from the way they carried themselves. Over the next few days, I’ll be paying tribute to the teammates who influenced me immensely,” ‘s far Kumble.

I have been very fortunate throughout my career to have played alongside men who inspired through their deeds. There are lessons to be learnt, like I did, from the way they carried themselves. Over the next few days, I’ll be paying tribute to the teammates who influenced me immensely

— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) May 30, 2020

VVS started the business by picking Sachin Tendulkar stating that the ‘Master Blaster’ was a legend. He hailed Tendulkar for remaining grounded despite the massive success and admiration he received from the fans across the world.

“His trail-blazing career is the stuff legends are made of, but even more endearing is his commitment, passion & respect for the game that made him what he is. Staying grounded despite the adulation he received is a remarkable quality, one of the hallmarks of his greatness,” Kumble wrote on Twitter.

On Monday, Laxman added another tweet in his awesome thread and featured former leg-spinner, Anil Kumble. Laxman heaped praises on Kumble and regarded him as the legendary spin bowler. Laxman said that Kumble was a “huge player and he rose above and beyond the call of duty”.

The Hyderabadi cricketer paid tribute to Kumble by posting a picture of the 2002 Test match against the West Indies. It was the same match in which the leggie played with a broken jaw in Antigua. It was the fourth Test match of the series when Kumble was hit on the jaw by a bouncer of fast bowler Mervyn Dillon.

However, even after bleeding Kumble did not give up and continued to bat for his team for another 15 minutes before he was dismissed for six runs. Soon, Kumble was taken to a local hospital for an X-ray, but the initial report did not suggest anything. Although subsequent detailed scans revealed a fracture on the left side of the jaw.

Then Kumble was supposed to leave for his hometown Bangalore for surgery, but he surprised the whole cricket fraternity when he walked into the ground for bowling. His face was strapped heavily with a bandage. Still, the ‘Jumbo’, showed immense courage and took the big wicket of Brian Lara.

“A giant in every sense, he rose above and beyond the call of duty. The grit, drive and bravery displayed through this picture is quintessential Anil Kumble. Never giving up, no matter what, was a trait which made Anil the cricketer he became,” ‘s far Laxman.

A giant in every sense, he rose above and beyond the call of duty. The grit, drive and bravery displayed through this picture is quintessential @anilkumble1074 .Never giving up, no matter what, was a trait which made Anil the cricketer he became. pic.twitter.com/pEPNgVRcPA

— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) June 1, 2020

Kumble played 132 Tests and 271 Odys for India in which he bagged 619 and 337 wickets respectively. When it comes to the leading wicket-takers in Test cricket, Kumble is at the third spot after Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708).

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