India captain Anil Kumble on Sunday lauded rich tributes on Virender Sehwag for his blazing 319 in the first Test against South Africa, saying it is one of the best ever innings he has seen.
"It was something special. We have all witnessed the best ever innings I have seen on a cricketing field. The range of strokes Viru [Sehwag] played and the pace at which he played.
I mean considering the conditions here, humidity, heat to keep that kind of concentration right through the day was amazing," Kumble said after the first Test in Chennai ended in a dull draw.
The veteran leggie believes Sehwag may have missed a good opportunity to break Brian Lara's world record of 400.
"He probably had the best opportunity [to get 400]. Scoring 300 is something monumental. To come back again and get another 100 is something he will have to do again."
The dashing opener is only the third batsmen after the legendary Don Bradman and Lara to have scored two triple centuries in Test cricket. "To get two triple hundreds in a short career as he has is something amazing," Kumble quipped.
Sehwag's blazing knock of 319 had helped India post 627 in reply to South Africa's first innings score of 540. But South Africa put in another good effort with the bat in their second essay, posting 331 for five declared before both teams agreed for a draw.
"We did exceptionally well to get a sizeable lead after chasing 540. The way [Virender] Sehwag batted was a treat to watch. It will always be remembered for his knock and Rahul Dravid's 10000 runs," he said.
During the course of his century (111) in the first innings, Dravid had become only the sixth batsman in the history to cross the 10,000-run barrier in Tests. And Kumble, who has been Dravid's long time team mate and friend, deservedly praised him for his achievement.
"Rahul has been a fantastic batsman for us right through his career. To have achieved that milestone for him is something special. I am privileged to have seen each and every run he has scored from the dressing room. It is a very special moment for us," he said.
Kumble said India's lower order collapse in the first innings that saw lose their last six wickets for the addition of 54 runs had impacted their game plan.
"We were in a position to put a lot of pressure on the South Africans. We went for a lot of runs yesterday and probably we lost a couple of wickets in doing that which put us back a bit. Otherwise we could have put a bit more pressure on them," he said.
The veteran leggie believes his bowlers tried their level best on a pitch that was loaded with runs with no help at all for the bowlers.
"I think the bowlers did the best you could possibly do on this pitch. You can't expect anything else. As soon as you come to India people start talking about spinners right from day one and till the last day is over, people keep mentioning spinners," he said.
Kumble also complimented the South African team for their spirited display, both with the bat and ball.
"They have travelled well, if you look at the way South Africans have from the time they first came here to now they have been improving. That is a challenge for us. We definitely have the potential to ensure we take wickets on any surface," he said.
However, the Indian skipper is confident that his bowlers will put in a much improved display in the remaining two Tests.
"They played really good cricket, but having said that we also have the bowlers to get that. It is also a matter of putting the pressure on them and getting early wickets which didn't happen on this pitch. But I am hopeful we will be able to do that in the next couple of Tests and do well."
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