Brisbane, Nov 30: Ace leg-spinner Anil Kumble has owned up India's poor showings on foreign soil saying that he has not performed well abroad to enable his side win a Test series outside the sub-continent for a long time. "It is a fair criticism, it's not the same (on foreign soil). I would have loved it to be the same (as at home) then probably the question India doesn't perform well abroad wouldn't have come," said Kumble.
Kumble has picked up 358 wickets from 78 Tests but his record abroad (123 wickets at 39.90 in 37 Tests) is vastly different to what he has been able to achieve at home (235 from 41 Tests at 22.10).
India have not won a test series outside the sub-continent in 17 years which is directly in contrast to their performance at home where they have lost just once in as many number of years.
Kumble, who will have to play a significant role if India wants to record any win in the upcoming four-match Test series against Australia, was a huge disappointment during the team's last trip down-under.
Though Kumble picked up only five wickets at 90.00 apiece on that tour, he revealed it was because he was asked to fulfill a different role, of a seamer, by the team.
"My role was different on the last tour. I think it would have been a different tour for me in terms of the number of wickets I got, if a couple of chances, which were there, had gone my way," he said.
Bureau Report