Kumble

MUMBAI, India (Reuters):

India's most successful bowler Anil Kumble said he was disappointed the team had failed to live up to expectation at the World Cup.

Touted as favourites back home, the 2003 finalists returned from the Caribbean on Thursday after being eliminated in the first round following defeats by Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

"We are really disappointed. We definitely believed that we could go a long way in this World Cup," the 36-year-old leg-spinner told a news conference yesterday while announcing his retirement from one-dayers.

Under fire

"In terms of preparations I thought we had done everything. It was just that on that particular day against Bangladesh we lost and the format of the tournament was such if you lose a game, it was really hard to come back."

Already under fire for their performance, the players were described as "Artful dodgers" by the Times of India daily after they avoided the media on their return.

Kumble, however, tried to sum up the feelings of his teammates.

"If you look at the warm-up matches prior to the start of the tournament, we did well against Holland and won pretty convincingly against the West Indies. As players I think we are more disappointed and hurt," he said.

Double blow

The early exit was a double blow for Kumble as he had wanted to leave the one-day arena in a blaze of glory after being dropped for the 2003 final against Australia.

"It's always nice to finish on a high note but unfortunately that did not seem to have happened," he said. "You can't really have a fairytale end every time. Hopefully my Test career will see that."

The Karnataka bowler played in 271 One-Day Internationals, making his debut in April 1990, and took 337 wickets.

He said he had thoroughly enjoyed the challenges of one-day cricket.

"As a bowler it is not easy in the one-day game. I think in the last three to four years it has become a lot harder for a bowler to survive," he said.