Anil Kumble. A player the Indian cricket fraternity can never forget as he is the man who has raised the bar so high, that at the present moment, no one has come closer to catching up to India's 'Milestone Man'.
As Kumble turns 48, 'Jumbo' has rubbed shoulders with three generations from the time he made his debut in 1990, till the time he bid adieu in 2012. He, later on, coached the Indian cricket team in June 2016 and resigned after leading Team India to the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, which they lost to arch-rivals Pakistan.
An unorthodox spinner who 'didn't turn' the ball much, is India's highest Test wicket-taker and lies third in the world after Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Australia's Shane Warne (708).
Kumble's 619 scalps are the benchmark as he holds the record for the most number of Test wickets taken by an Indian. The second spot is held by 1983 World Cup winner Kapil Dev who has taken 434 wickets.
Fondly known as 'Jumbo' for his massive height, Kumble did wonders with the ball. Despite playing in an era which comprised of the 'Fab Four'- Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, it was Kumble who was India's match-winner many times.
India was known for the batting prowess, but it was Kumble who walked the talk as he led the attack with his 'smart' bowling. He was consistent on field, aggressive when required, exhibited confidence every time he stepped up to bowl.
Even with the bat, he scored 2506 runs in Test cricket which consists of including one century at the Oval.
Coming to stats, he has a match-winning 6/12 in the finals of the 1993 Hero Cup, the unforgettable 10-wicket haul in a single innings of a Test match against Pakistan in 1999, a century at the Oval in 2007 and plenty more to brag about. He is known as India's 'Milestone Man' for a reason.
Here are a few records which Anil Kumble holds -
- Kumble holds the record for registering a 10-wicket haul in a single innings of a Test match. He is the only bowler to achieve this feat after England's Jim Laker.
- He holds the record for the most number of Test wickets (619) taken by an Indian and third overall behind Muralitharan and Warne.
- He also holds the most number of International wickets (956) by an Indian and third overall behind Muralitharan (1347) and Shane Warne (1001).
- He also holds the record of highest number of ODI wickets by an Indian (337).
- He holds an unbeaten record of claiming 61 ODI wickets in a calendar year in 1996. A feat which has not been accomplished since by any bowler.
Here are a few facts which you may have not known about Jumbo -
Kumble was quite studious
Anil Kumble had always been a bright student and not only in cricket. He excelled in studies too, as he did his schooling from National High School in Bangalore and graduation in Mechanical Engineering from Rashtreeya Vidyalaya College of Engineering.
The nickname Jumbo
The term 'Jumbo' was given by Navjot Singh Sidhu not because of his height, but because of the variations in his bowling which enabled him to gain help and bounce from any pitch.
Broken Jaw and 11 stitches
Anil Kumble played a match against West Indies in 2002 with a broken jaw after he got hit by Windies batsman Mery Dillion. Despite the pain and agony, he played the match with his face bandaged. He also got the prized wicket of Brian Lara. A true legend of the game.
Here's wishing India's Milestone Man a very happy birthday.
