Anil Kumble

Profile
Anil Kumble

Anil Kumble

Born: 17 October 1970, Bangalore
Major Teams: Karnataka, Northamptonshire, India, Leicestershire.
Known As: Anil Kumble
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Leg Break Googly

Profile:

India's main strike bowler of the 90s, Anil Kumble has taken upon the role of both stock bowler and shock bowler for many years now. Like his illustrious predecessor BS Chandrasekhar, he has frequently proved to be a match winner, especially on Indian wickets. On a turning track, Kumble can be pretty unplayable as he mixes his bag of tricks to bamboozle the batsman. Kumble has never been a big spinner of the ball but his accuracy and his enormous variety make him a difficult bowler to handle. Kumble came into the side as a relatively unknown 19-year-old on the tour of England in 1990, was promptly forgotten for a couple of years and was back in the team on the basis of an outstanding Irani Trophy performance in 1992-93. Subsequently on the tour of South Africa he really came of age, a major turning point being his bag of six for 53 in the second Test at Johennesburg.

Anil Kumble getting 500 wickets Mohali, March 11 A wave of jubilation swept through the Indian camp when Anil Kumble trapped England tailender Steve Harmison lbw to join the select band of bowlers to claim 500 Test wickets. As umpire Simon Taufel upheld the lbw appeal, the 35-year-old Kumble jumped in the air and pumped his fists in celebration. Though denied a hat-trick, Kumble went on to claim the last wicket of Monty Panesar to complete another five-wicket haul. The other bowlers to have already achieved the 500-wicket feat are Shane Warne (Australia - 659), Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka- 600), Glenn McGrath (Australia- 542) and Courtney Walsh (West Indies- 519). The Indian leg-spinner, scourge of batsman the world over and the architect of so many Indian victories at home and abroad, emerged the second fastest to complete the 500-wicket mark in terms of number of Tests played. The current Test at the PCA Stadium is the wily spinner’s 105th match. Warne, the leading wicket-taker in Test history, is way ahead of other bowler with 659 scalps in his kitty. Muralitharan joined Warne as only the second bowler in the history of the game to cross the 600-wicket mark during the Bogra Test against minnows Bangladesh. In quest of the rare honour, Kumble started the proceedings today with pacer Munaf Patel. Though he came close to taking a wicket on a couple of occasions, the Karnataka leggie went wicketless in th pre-lunch session. But he triggered a batting collapse immediately after the lunch break. Operating with the new ball with Munaf, Kumble castled Jones to reach the figure of 499. Then he got rid of Harmison and Panesar to take his tally to 501. Kumble’s second spell read 1.4-0-2-3. For someone who made his Test debut in 1990 at Old Trafford, it has been a peerless saga of success achieved through sheer determination and hard work. During the 16 years that he has been on the international stage for the country, Kumble has numerous occasions to cherish, the foremost among these being the 10-wicket haul against arch-rivals Pakistan at Ferozeshah Kotla. Though he has lost berth in the one-day squad, Kumble is a vital component in the Test squad. Kapil Dev with 434 wickets is the second highest wicket-taker for India in Tests. An ecstatic Kumble later said it was his self belief, perseverance and support by team-mates which kept him going. “There were doubts created by various people but I never doubted my abilities,” he said. “It is a great feeling to be able to reach the milestone as the first Indian and only the fifth bowler in the history of the game. I owe it to all the cricketers I have played with,” he observed.

From that moment on he has never looked back and has been India's only real world class spin bowler. Bowlers who have partnered him in the spin attack during the decade have long since departed from the scene but Kumble has carried on, picking up his usual quota of wickets both in Tests and one day internationals. And at times he has come up with the unusual feats too, like his six for 12 in the Hero Cup final against West Indies in 1993-94 and his perfect ten for 74 against Pakistan at New Delhi in 1998-99. The latter feat made him only the second bowler in Test cricket, after Jim Laker for England against Australia at Old Trafford in 1956, to capture all ten wickets in a Test innings. A more than useful tailend batsman with a penchant for attack, Kumble has come to the rescue of the side frequently with some timely knocks

Test Debut: India v England at Manchester, 2nd Test, 1990
ODI Debut: India v Sri Lanka at Sharjah, Australasia Cup, 1989/90