An orthodox leg spinner in the classical mould who got a raw deal from
the selectors, Kumar in his prime was the best of his type in the
country. A master of spin, line and length, he seemed the logical
successor to Subash Gupte. After a series of notable performances in
the Ranji Trophy, he made his Test debut against Pakistan at New Delhi
in 1960-61 and almost bowled India to victory by capturing five for 64
and two for 68. On the eve of his next Test, against England the
following season, he was injured. But he was forced to play because of
the opponents' traditional weakness against leg spin bowling. He
failed, going wicketless for 70 runs. That remarkably was his last
Test. Perhaps the advent of BS Chandrasekhar had something to do with
Kumar not being considered again but he remained a fine bowler
throughout the sixties and for much of the seventies. He was a regular
wicket-taker and in 1970-71 he was the first bowler to take 300
wickets in the Ranji Trophy and four years later became the first to
top the 400 wicket mark. He now runs the MAC Spin Academy in Chennai.
(Partab Ramchand)
