End of the Gentleman's Game !!!

While the debate on Juniors vs Seniors was going on, a cricket purist would never have imagined how the cricketing world will look like with the retirement of the so-called Indian seniors. Though it was impending but the sudden announcement of the retirement by Anil 'Perfect Ten' Kumble left somewhere a tear in the corner of the eyes. As many present in the stadium, including yours truly, witnessed the sheer grit and passion one associates with Jumbo while taking that running catch backwards, one can't help but rewinding the time back to that Antigua test against West Indies.
Never before and never in the future will anyone see more committed cricketer than our very own Jumbo. Though never a big-turner of the ball, he has shown that not only turn and flight that can deceive the batsman but also the changes of length and pace. He has been a cultured practitioner of his unique craft and a master of nuances.

Peter Roebuck has an interesting take on this,
"Curiously, Kumble has little in common with his two great contemporaries, Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan. They relied on excess, spinning the ball ferociously and able, by sleight of hand, to fool batsmen into playing at thin air. They created error by destroying hope. Kumble more closely resembles Glenn McGrath because he does not so much baffle batsmen as torture them with precisely-pitched deliveries. Like the Australian, he does not tear opponents apart, just works away methodically till the deed has been done. Apparently he is an engineer, but he belongs in the courts of law as an inquisitor."
So with the retirement of Jumbo, the game has seen the last of Gentleman cricket it is known for. The last true Gentleman of the game's gone and with it dies the old-school, the more traditonal type of cricket we love the game for...
Good-bye Anil bhai... We'll miss you forever...