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Anil Kumble

India

Full name Anil Kumble

Born October 17, 1970, Bangalore, Karnataka

Current age 39 years 22 days

Major teams India, Asia XI, Karnataka, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Surrey

Batting style Right-hand bat

Bowling style Legbreak googly

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct
Tests	132	173	32	2506	110*	17.77	6455	38.82	1	5	302	9	60
ODIs	271	136	47	938	26	10.53	1536	61.06	0	0	57	6	85
First-class	244	318	61	5572	154*	21.68			7	17			120
List A	380	203	73	1456	30*	11.20			0	0			122
Twenty20	33	14	10	38	8	9.50	45	84.44	0	0	3	0	11

Bowling averages

	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w	10
Tests	132	236	40850	18355	619	10/74	14/149	29.65	2.69	65.9	31	35	8
ODIs	271	265	14496	10412	337	6/12	6/12	30.89	4.30	43.0	8	2	0
First-class	244		66931	29347	1136	10/74		25.83	2.63	58.9		72	19
List A	380		20247	14178	514	6/12	6/12	27.58	4.20	39.3	14	3	0
Twenty20	33	33	745	851	37	5/5	5/5	23.00	6.85	20.1	1	1	0

Career statistics

Test debut	England v India at Manchester, Aug 9-14, 1990 scorecard
Last Test	India v Australia at Delhi, Oct 29-Nov 2, 2008 scorecard
Test statistics
ODI debut	India v Sri Lanka at Sharjah, Apr 25, 1990 scorecard
Last ODI	Bermuda v India at Port of Spain, Mar 19, 2007 scorecard
ODI statistics
First-class debut	1989/90
Last First-class	India v Australia at Delhi, Oct 29-Nov 2, 2008 scorecard
List A debut	1989/90
Last List A	Bermuda v India at Port of Spain, Mar 19, 2007 scorecard
Twenty20 debut	Gloucestershire v Surrey at Bristol, Jul 24, 2006 scorecard
Last Twenty20	Royal Challengers Bangalore v Delhi Daredevils at Bangalore, Oct 17, 2009 scorecard

Profile

No bowler in history won India more Test matches than Anil Kumble, and there probably hasn't been a harder trier either. Like the great tall wristspinners Bill O'Reilly and his own idol BS Chandrasekhar, Kumble traded the legspinner's proverbial yo-yo for a spear, as the ball hacked through the air rather than hanging in it and came off the pitch with a kick rather than a kink. The method provided him stunning success, particularly on Indian soil, where his deliveries burst like packets of water upon the feeblest hint of a crack, and more than one modern-day batsman remarked that there was no more difficult challenge in cricket than handling Kumble on a wearing surface.

Kumble's prodigious capacity to bear pain was proved in Antigua in 2002 when he bandaged his fractured jaw to deliver a stirring spell, and that to continuously learn in the mid-2000s when, after a decade of middling away performances, he influenced memorable wins in Headingley, Adelaide, Multan and Kingston, using an improved googly, bigger sidespin and more variation in flight and on the crease.

In a brilliant though always downplayed career Kumble claimed virtually every Indian record. In 1999 in Delhi he swallowed all ten wickets in an innings against Pakistan. In December 2001, on home turf in Bangalore, he became the India's first spinner to take 300 Test wickets. A year later, almost to the day, he became the first to do so in one-dayers. In August 2007 at The Oval he went past Glenn McGrath's 563 wickets and in January 2008 he broke the 600 barrier, to stand behind only Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan, emphasising his contribution to spin's golden era. And at The Oval he chalked up what, judging by the pure ecstasy of his reaction and the dressing room's, was perhaps his most cherished feat of all - a Test century that had been 17 years and 118 matches in the coming.

Less than a month after his 37th birthday, he received the ultimate honour when he was named India's Test captain for the home series against Pakistan. He went on to win the series, the first home triumph against Pakistan in 27 years, before playing a big role in holding the side together during the controversial series in Australia. He was also India's leading wicket-taker with 20 in the four Tests.

His form, however, slipped during the tour of Sri Lanka and there were calls for him to quit after a wicketless performance in the Bangalore Test against Australia. A shoulder injury added fuel to the fire and an upset Kumble reacted sharply, saying that he had it in him to continue for a while longer. However, he changed his mind during the Delhi Test and announced his retirement, fittingly at his favourite venue. He finished his career as the third-highest Test wicket-taker (619), behind Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne. He continued playing competitively, in the IPL, and his leadership of the Royal Challengers Bangalore was instrumental in getting them to the final in 2009 after a disappointing first season.
Rahul Bhattacharya 2008

Notes

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1996

Timeline

August 9, 1990
Inconspicuous entry

A bespectacled and studious-looking Kumble makes his Test debut against England at Old Trafford. Bowling first-change, takes 3 for 105 - his first wicket is Allan Lamb, snared at silly point for 38 - as England rack up 519. Goes wicket-less in the second innings, and does not play in the third Test. Does not get another opportunity for more than two years.

September 27-30, 1992
Delhi - a love affair begins

Playing for Rest of India against Delhi, Kumble takes 13 for 138 in the Irani Trophy game, a performance that the selectors cannot ignore when the team for the tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa is selected shortly after. The Kotla, as only time will so beautifully tell, proves to be Kumble's fortress as the years progress.

November 29, 1992
Welcome back the wily one

Back in the Test side after a long gap, his 6 for 53 - from 44 overs complete with 22 maidens - dismisses South Africa for 252 in their second innings during the second Test in Johannesburg. Five of his victims are bowled, beaten either by his zip off the pitch or else frustrated into playing across the line by his accuracy. The match is drawn, but he proves he is here to stay.

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Best Performances

6 for 12 v West Indies, Kolkata, 1992-93

A crowd widely estimated as close to 100,000 watches with delight as West Indies' batting collapses in the final of the Hero Cup. From 57 for 1 they lose nine wickets for 66, and are all out with nearly 10 overs remaining; Kumble takes the last six for four runs in 26 balls. His full figures of 6 for 12 are the best for India in one-day internationals. One of his victims, Roland Holder, notches up the dubious first of being given out bowled by a TV umpire.

4 for 69 and 7 for 59 v Sri Lanka, Lucknow, 1993-94

Kumble's first 10-wicket haul, in his 14th Test. Eleven wickets in the match, replete with his second-innings seven-wicket haul, give India a thumping win over Sri Lanka in Lucknow, and Kumble, 23, his first Man-of-the-Match award. Bounding in, shoulders arched and eyes ablaze with intent, Kumble is a sight to behold on the third and fourth days, sending down over after over of fizzing, ripping legspin that utterly confounds the hapless Sri Lankans. Four vital scalps in the first innings force the tourists to follow on, only for Kumble to relentlessly continue his mastery - despite a bleeding nose and heat exhaustion - on the fourth day.

5 for 33 v New Zealand, Wellington, 1993-94

A target of 256 for New Zealand in the Wellington ODI briefly looks attainable as Shane Thomson and Adam Parore put on 85 for the sixth wicket. Thomson reaches 50 in 51 balls but Kumble has him stumped, and bowls Parore, and 28 off the last two overs is too much for the tail. Earlier, Kumble removes both Chris Harris and Blair Hartland, after they put on 60 for the second wicket, and finishes with 5 for 33.

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Cricinfo picks - Our top articles on this player

'The last column is the one that matters' (Apr 16, 2008)
The 100-per-cent cricketer (Jan 1, 2005)
Anil Kumble (1996)
'Cricket should talk' (Feb 14, 2008)