Is Rahul Sharma India's next Anil Kumble?

On a day when India captain Virender Sehwag provided a swashbuckling performance, there was another lad, 24 years of age, who made his debut and picked up 3 wickets. He goes by the name Rahul Sharma.

This young lad is being compared to one of the greatest leg-spinners in the world, Anil Kumble and that is not without much reason. Sharma, who was diagnosed with a facial nerve dis function that affected his vision while playing for the Deccan Chargers in IPL 3, has shown several signs of being a product of the “Jumbo gharana”.

The ball held head-high much like Jumbo

Sharma is as tall as Kumble and hence can extract the same amount of bounce from the pitch as Kumble used to. He is accurate as well. Like Kumble, Sharma is not a great turner of the ball, but ball control and bounce are his main assets. Sharma has a brilliant top-spinner with which he took his first international wicket. His arsenal contains weapons like slider, googly and flipper, weapons that Kumble mastered much later in his career.

Sharma’s run-up may seem a lot like Ashwin but when he delivers the ball, you will see the influence of Anil Kumble in his bowling.

However, it is too early to compare Rahul Sharma with the greatest Indian leg-spinner since he has played only two ODIs and is yet to play a Test? Only time will tell.