BANGALORE (Reuters) - Test captain Anil Kumble has urged national media to be more responsible in their criticism of senior players following reports that the cricket board has drawn up an exit plan for him and four fellow veterans. "It is just that it needs to be a bit more respectful when people discuss cricketers," Kumble told a news conference on Thursday. "We don't mind the scrutiny but when it is done really rubbishly and the way it has been portrayed, then it hurts." Cricket-mad India is fiercely debating whether it is time for their record-breaking batsmen Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Vangipurappu Laxman, as well as spinner Kumble, all well into their 30s, to quit. Indian media reported that a 'voluntary retirement' plan had been drawn up by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). "As sportsmen we go out there to perform and win for the country and we have been doing that for the last 18 years and you know, when you do that (the scrutiny), you do that with respect and dignity then there is no problems with that," Kumble said. Television channels ran programmes on the advancing age of the five players on Wednesday after they were named in the squad for the first two Australia tests starting next week, belying media predictions that former captain Ganguly could be dropped. Kumble, the third highest test wicket-taker, is the oldest at 37 and is being named captain on a series-by-series basis since Dravid abruptly resigned the job last year. A BCCI official said on Wednesday that the five had been told to plan their retirements by December but Kumble said: "No one has spoken to us on these terms and neither have we, but it's all happening in the media."
Source: www.cricinfo.com
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