Anil's always been a brave boy

As cricket-loving Bangalore continues to talk about Anil Kumble''s amazing display of guts in Antigua, his father is simply sitting back and saying "He''s always braved physical pain without wincing."
According to K N Krishnaswami, Anil did it when he was a 13-year-old school boy. "He was playing for his school and was hit on the face. I took him to the doctor.His face was swollen and he was given some painkillers. After two days he wanted to resume his game. I asked him if he was confident of playing and he said `yes'', went ahead and his team won the match. That was a turning point. I feel it was a major incident because at 13, a child cannot defy his parents and we could have stopped him from playing the match. But we have always encouraged our children to think independently."
In fact, when they were young Anil and his elder brother Dinesh were taken shopping but never told what to buy. "Decision-making should start early," says Krishnaswami, who believes the performance in Antigua was one such decision taken completely independently.
But there are times when Krishnaswami tells his superstar son what to do. Like in 1999 when he phoned from Delhi after his record ten-wicket haul against Pakistan. "I told him to stay balanced. It was a moment to be savoured, but one shouldn''t get carried away. As a family we are a very sober people," says this wise father.
Dwelling on Anil''s nature, he says, "Anil is tough but not foolhardy. When he had injured his shoulder last year he followed the doctor''s instructions closely."