Cricket, the game is synonymous across India and it is one game that is considered as a passion & religion by many of us! Be it the World Cup, Champions Trophy, the excruciating five days of Test Cricket or IPL – the latest sensation; we love following the game to the core. Though Cricket has changed considerably over a period of time with few new rules being added for the betterment of the game, changing temperament of the players, etc. the core and the passion still remains the same 🙂
If you are a 90’s kid like me, you would have grown up learning the nuances of Cricket by watching the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, our current Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team – Anil Kumble. Each of these players had different traits and one specialty, Sachin Tendulkar – Cover Drive, Sourav Ganguly- Offside stroke play, Rahul Dravid – Solid technique and determination, Anil Kumble – Flipper. Even though the T20 format of the game resulted in shifting gears, contributions by these players in One-day Internationals, Test Cricket and T20 format [where few of them played] would always be cherished.
There are some achievements in Cricket that leave a mark forever and one such feat is Anil Kumble’s 10 wickets in a Test Innings against our arch rivals – Pakistan. This is the reason why Kumble’s flippers, wrong one’s were very effective on any cricketing surface! Even Cricketers have other passions [apart from Cricket] which many of them pursue post-retirement.
Anil ‘Jumbo‘ Kumble who achieved this feat is currently the Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team. It is fun to listen to stories on how sport-stars, particularly cricketers got their pet names and the story is no different for Anil Kumble. Though Kumble was a leg-spinner, some of the deliveries that he bowled were faster than a medium-fast bowler and that is also one of the reasons why he is called Jumbo. He is nicknamed Jumbo not only because of his deliveries, that, for a spinner, are as fast as a jumbo jet, but, also because his feet are quite big or Jumbo as observed by his team-mates [Source].
Apart from being an ardent servant of the game, Anil Kumble also has interests beyond cricket. He is also a motivational speaker, Fitness freak and above all a wildlife photographer. Kumble is a big lover of wildlife safari and enjoys mountain biking as well. He is very passionate about wildlife conservation and that is one of the primary reasons he setup the Kumble Foundation – Jumbo Fund. The fund primarily strives to raise funds and recognize the hard work of the people behind wildlife conservation! His passion for wildlife photography is visible from the work shared by him on his Twitter Handle.
Apart from wildlife photography, Jumbo also captures Indian team’s recreational activities when they are on a tour. Being a cricket fan, this is something that each one of us would love to have a look at – life of cricketers off the cricket pitch and Kumble’s amazing camera work does wonders for us! That is one of the primary reasons he also doubles up as a ‘Team Photographer‘. Anil Kumble also dons the hat of an Author 🙂 He is the author of the book Wide Angle which is a journey through the Indian Cricket Team’s dressing room. The book takes us back in time with Kumble sharing his childhood pictures, pictures of him with other Indian cricketers particularly his other Karnataka players, Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad. The book also captures off the pitch funny moments, dressing room pictures and particularly wildlife photography.
Anil Kumble loves to click pictures of animals in their natural habitat and as mentioned earlier, he shares his amazing photography work on social media. In a nutshell, Anil Kumble is a true all-rounder that champions the cause of wildlife conservation by being active on-field to drive that change!
However, like normal netizens, even cricket stalwarts face difficulty with inconsistent data speed. As mentioned earlier, Anil Kumble takes his passion for wildlife photography very seriously and that is one of the primary reasons why he also needs a consistent ‘Data Strong Network’. A network that allows him to upload his photography to his social media profiles when he is on-the-go, be it trekking or clicking pictures from his safari adventure!! Anil also endorses Vodafone which provides him service he can rely on for high speed uninterrupted connectivity whether roaming abroad or on his wildlife expedition!!
An avid twitter user, Anil’s Twitter page is full of updates and pictures from his travels and #Wildlife tours and expeditions, his suggestions and feedback on various cricketing and social discussions. Anil loves to stay connected to his fans, friends, and colleagues on a regular basis and while he uses a DSLR Camera to capture some breathtaking pictures, he shares them through his data strong Vodafone network.
If you are on the Vodafone Network, please leave your experience in the comments section…