India's powerful cricket board hastily deleted a birthday message for record Test wicket-taker Anil Kumble yesterday after irate fans took offence at the spinning great being described simply as a "former Team India bowler"
India's powerful cricket board hastily deleted a birthday message for record Test wicket-taker Anil Kumble yesterday after irate fans took offence at the spinning great being described simply as a "former Team India bowler". The BCCI joined in the well wishes for Kumble's 47th birthday but quickly backtracked after its low-key description sent fans into a spin. "Here's wishing former #TeamIndia bowler @anilkumble1074 a very happy birthday," read the BCCI message on its official Twitter account, before the post was deleted. Fans of Kumble were angered, saying the board was playing down the achievements of India's greatest bowler. "Umm bowler? Wasnt he also Captain and Coach and is India's leading Wicket taker?" replied TV journalist Digvijay Singh Deo on Twitter.
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Anil Kumble
'Give Kumble due respect'
Other fans urged the board to give Kumble his "due respect". The BCCI then tweeted another message calling him "former captain" and "legend", but the damage was done. Former India spin great Bishan Singh Bedi strongly critcised the manner in which BCCI went about to wish Kumble. "That's not the way to go about things. I rang Kumble up first thing in the morning to wish him. I firmly believe that a personal touch is very important.
Callous BCCI
"I also wished Madhav Apte on his 86th birthday. This is nothing short of callousness by the BCCI. Also, a tinge of ungratefulness, but I'm sure Anil will not lose any sleep over this," Bedi told mid-day yesterday.
With inputs from Clayton Murzello
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