Anil Kumble

Anil Kumble Biography

The set jaw, the glint of steel in the eye, the immense effort in the action, the ball shooting down from a great height, poison tipped, diabolical, fizzing, projected like a javelin; then the vicious moment of landing on the pitch, followed by the skid, the thud into the pad, or past every line of defence into the woodwork or off a hapless edge and the pad into the hand of one of the posse of close-in catchers; or sometimes the sudden devious bounce that underlined why the wicketkeeper behind the stumps was always intent on donning a helmet.

And then the elation — match after match won through one man’s relentless endeavour — the desire for victory visible as the flame that set those eyes ablaze. No bowler has come even close to Anil Kumble in terms of single-handedly winning matches for India. At home he sent down deliveries that went down as the biggest challenge to negotiate for batsmen around the world (and Indian wicketkeepers). And after a decade and a bit of painstaking perseverance, success finally touched him on those unresponsive foreign pitches. Like vintage wine he improved with time, new essence added into the mix while the fizz and sparkle remained undiminished.

Even when victory did not materialise the blaze of glory surrounded this tireless performer like a glowing halo. It took the form of the bandage wrapping the fractured jaw as he entered the field and tried to bowl India to victory in Antigua. Gallantry was complemented by dignity, and never was this more starkly demonstrated than in the press conference after the infamous Sydney Test of 2007-08. Under the shadow of defeat, frustration from shoddy umpiring and faced with an onslaught of unethical ruthlessness under the guise of gamesmanship, Kumble —then captain of India — maintained striking calm shrouding the simmering anger within and pronounced his personal verdict in a fluent, articulate sentence that stunned the cricket world into introspection. "Only one team was playing with the spirit of the game, that's all I can say."

There was no sight more touching than when he left the international arena forever, chaired on the shoulders of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, the mighty hero of 18 years, the architect of triumphs, the biggest name in the pantheon of great spinners of the country.

Yet, he was hardly a spinner other than in the pages that listed his profile. He seldom lured batsmen out of the safety of the crease with tantalising flight. Rarely were his victims stumped, or induced to loft in the air and hole out in the deep. The vagaries of the googly improved with time, some of his leg-breaks did turn. But he preferred his own method of snaring batsmen — perfected through practice. The top-spinners and flippers, relying on the bounce and the skid, getting the batsmen leg before, bowled or caught in the close cordon. Kumble hated to be taken for runs. Sessions used to go down without a boundary scored off his relentless line and length. For the batsman there was no moment to relax when Kumble was bowling a spell.

Off a gangly run, the arm came over from a great height on top of his six foot two inch frame, propelled by powerful shoulders. Through the air he was always quick, often compared tongue-in-cheek to the medium-pacer (which was, incidentally, what he started his career as) — by onlookers, seldom by the tormented batsmen. The stumps were his target, and he could go at them forever. If the surface helped the ball skid or there was a semblance of cracks, he would become unplayable. Bounce would nourish him as well.

With time the leg-spinner in him did evolve. The direct approach at pad and stumps was refined. Side spin increased, the slow leg-break and the flighted googly came to the fore. The angle of attack was varied, there were spells from round the wicket at the left-handers. But, never did he resemble a conventional spinner. It did not stop him from becoming the most successful Indian tweaker by far.

And yet, he looked most elated — even more than what he looked when he took ten in an innings — when he scored that elusive Test hundred at The Oval in 2007!

Arunabha Sengupta

Anil Kumble Batting & Fielding Averages

Career	M	In	R	NO	HS	Avg	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s	Ct	St
Test	132	173	2506	32	110*	17.77	6454	38.82	1	5	302	9	60	0
ODIs	271	136	938	47	26	10.53	1536	61.06	0	0	57	6	85	0
T20s	0	--	--	--		--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
World Cup	18	8	62	4	17*	15.50	88	70.45	0	0	6	0	14	0

Anil Kumble Bowling Averages

Career	M	B	R	W	Avg	EC	SR	5WI	10WM	BBI	BBM
Test	132	40850	18355	619	29.65	2.696	65.	35	8	10/74	14/149
ODIs	271	14496	10412	337	30.89	4.309	43.01	2	0	6/12	6/12
T20s	0	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
World Cup	18	1039	708	31	22.83	4.088	33.51	0	--	4/32	6/12

Anil Kumble Career statistics

News ON Anil Kumble

IPL 2021: Shahrukh Khan Reminds Anil Kumble of Kieron Pollard

Shahrukh Khan was the in-form batsman in this year's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, playing a vital role in Tamil Nadu winning the title.

ICC Cricket Committee Meet: ‘Umpire’s Call’ Will Remain, 3 Changes to DRS And 3rd Umpire Protocols Approved

Called "confusing" by India captain Virat Kohli, the Umpire's Call has been a subject of controversy for a while now.

India vs England 4th Test 2021: Ravichandran Ashwin is One Of India’s Greatest Match Winners, Says Aakash Chopra, VVS Laxman

Former India batsmen Laxman and Chopra lavished praise on Ashwin, saying he is one of the biggest match-winners the country has ever ...

Anil Kumble Would Have Taken 1000 Wickets on Such Pitches: Yuvraj Singh

The third Test between India and England ended inside two days with spinner with 28 wickets being taken by the spinners.

Ravichandran Ashwin Overtakes Anil Kumble to Become Fastest Indian Bowler to Pick 400 Test Wickets, Second Fastest Overall

Overall, the 34-year-old Ashwin became the second-fastest bowler to pick up 400 wickets, after Muttiah Muralitharan.

IND vs ENG: Joe Root Pips Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, Anil Kumble to Achieve This Unique Feat, Twitter Lauds England Captain Five-For at Narendra Modi Stadium

India lost as many as seven wickets for only 31 runs after looking solid at 114 for 3 at one stage in the game.

More News on Anil Kumble

Features ON Anil Kumble

Cricket World Cup 2019: All Indian cricket records at World Cup – most runs, wickets, catches, wins and more

A look at some of the stats highlights for India at the World Cup since its inception in 1975.

Cricket World Cup 2019: Most catches in each edition of the World Cup

While West Indies skipper Clive Lloyd held on to four catches in World Cup 1975, Ricky Ponting held on to 11 catches during the World ...

Mohammed Shami breaks Anil Kumble’s record of most overseas Test wickets in a year

Anil Kumble claimed 41 wickets in six Tests back in 2006; Shami has 42 in ten in 2018.

Super six: India’s Test victories in Australia

This is India’s sixth win on Australian soil, after wins in 1977-78 (two), 1981-82, 2003-04 and 2007-08.

Best of India in Australia: Anil Kumble’s 12 at the SCG

Kumble's 8/141 in Australia's first innings were the best figures at the SCG since 1898, and the fourth best ever.

Best of India in Australia: Ishant Sharma torments Ricky Ponting at Perth

Perth 2008 is best remembered for the 19-year-old Ishant Sharma who bowled a crucial spell in the fourth innings to dismiss Ricky Ponting.

More Features on Anil Kumble

IPL 2021 Full Schedule: मुंबई इंडियंस, CSK, RCB, राजस्थान रॉयल्स, पंजाब किंग्स, KKR, दिल्ली कैपिटल, SRH का पूरा शेड्यूल देखें

Ind vs Eng: इंग्लैंड को हरा MS Dhoni से आगे निकले कोहली, मोटेरा के मैदान पर टूटे कई रिकॉर्ड

सबसे तेज 400 टेस्ट विकेट लेने वाले दूसरे गेंदबाज बने रविचंद्रन अश्विन

एक ही टेस्ट में सबसे ज्यादा बार अर्धशतक लगाकर 5-विकेट हॉल लेने वाले तीसरे खिलाड़ी बने रविचंद्रन अश्विन

हरभजन को पीछे छोड़ भारत में सर्वाधिक टेस्ट विकेट लेने वाले दूसरे गेंदबाज बने अश्विन