Kumble revealed that he was primarily a fast bowler while playing school and club cricket before a senior player raised concerns over his action.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"One of the senior players in my club asked my coach to stop me from bowling as he felt I was bending my elbow. I honestly didn\u2019t even realise I was bending my elbow. I was bowling the way that felt natural to me. I was around 13-14 at that time and probably not strong enough,\u201d Kumble said while speaking on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The accusation left the young Kumble searching for an alternative just weeks before the Karnataka Under-15 selection trials. Unable to continue bowling pace, he turned to his brother for advice, who suggested trying leg spin in the hope of improving his chances of making the squad.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThen I got a chance for the Under 15 selection trials, which were a month or two away. By then I couldn\u2019t bowl pace because people were already saying I used to chuck. My brother told me, \u2018Try leg spin, there aren\u2019t many people, maybe you will get a look.\u2019 I didn\u2019t even know much about leg spin then. I had heard the name B. S. Chandrasekhar, but television was not common and I hadn\u2019t seen him bowl in matches.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Kumble admitted he entered the new discipline with little technical understanding and without formal coaching. Rather than learning textbook leg-spin, he improvised using the grip he already knew from bowling off-spin, teaching himself through experimentation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThen I got a chance for the Under 15 selection trials, which were a month or two away. By then I couldn\u2019t bowl pace because people were already saying I used to chuck. My brother told me, \u2018Try leg spin, there aren\u2019t many people, maybe you will get a look.\u2019 I didn\u2019t even know much about leg spin then. I had heard the name B. S. Chandrasekhar, but television was not common and I hadn\u2019t seen him bowl in matches.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
That selection marked the beginning of a remarkable journey. What started as a forced change born out of criticism eventually laid the foundation for a career that saw Kumble claim 619 Test wickets, become only the second bowler to take all 10 wickets in a Test innings, and establish himself as one of India's greatest cricketers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n