Did Azhar Tell Srinath To Bowl Wide Of The Stumps To Allow Kumble To Pick Up 10 Wickets vs Pak? Know The Truth
Did Azhar Tell Srinath To Bowl Wide Of The Stumps To Allow Kumble To Pick Up 10 Wickets vs Pak? Know The Truth
New Delhi: Former India captain Anil Kumble etched his name in the books of history today, 24 years ago, after picking up all ten wickets against Pakistan in the second Test of the two-match series at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, now known as the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Kumble’s perfect ten came in the second innings of the Test, which helped India win the match by 212 runs and level the series 1-1. Having got rid of Shahid Afridi after a century-run opening stand, Kumble went through the Pakistan top order as Ijaz Ahmed, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Yousuf went one after another, leaving the visitors reeling at 115 for 4.
The former India captain was relentless as Saeed Anwar, Moin Khan and Saleem Malik became his next victims on a pitch that by no means was a square turner but was two-paced and had uneven bounce. At the stroke of tea, Kumble had made full use of the conditions and had already picked up six wickets. The next three came right after the break.
“After tea, I got 7, 8 and 9. And finished my over and Javagal Srinath had to bowl one, that was probably the toughest he had to bowl,” Kumble recalled while speaking with Pommie Mbangwa during an Instagram chat last year.
“He had to unlearn all his skills and bowl wide. But I didn’t ask him, believe me. I thought, ‘Let’s give Wasim a single.’ But I thought I had to get one that over, because it would have been embarrassing to ask one more. I was just destined. One down in a series, against Pakistan, just so special,” the former India leg-spinner further added.
While there are quite a few reports suggesting that the then India captain Mohammad Azharuddin had requested Srinath to bowl wide of the stumps in order to give Kumble the opportunity to pick up ten wickets in an innings, the truth is a little different.
“Nobody had to come and tell me to not take that remaining wicket. Anil had been bowling well and he was on the verge of a record and it was just a unanimous decision,” Srinath later went on to reveal.
Kumble became only the second bowler after Jim Laker to have picked up ten wickets in an innings in 1999.