Anil Kumble


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World T20, 2nd Semi-Final

India vs West Indies

at Mumbai, Mar 31, 2016
West Indies 196/3 beat India 192/2 by 7 wickets



Anil Kumble

India International Cricket Team Player No bowler in India's history has won more Test matches than Anil Kumble, and there probably hasn't been a harder trier either. Unorthodox, he trades the legspinner's proverbial yo-yo for a spear, as the ball hacks through the air rather than hanging in it, then comes off the pitch with a kick rather than a kink. He does not beat the bat as much as hit the splice, but it's a method that has provided him with stunning success, particularly on Indian soil, where his deliveries burst like packets of water on the feeblest hint of a crack. He is resilient and untiring, and a big legbreak would have made him perfect, just like the ten-in-an-innings he took in a Test against Pakistan. Anil Kumble's perfect 10 - Ten wickets in an innings. For most of his career Kumble struggled to make an impact outside India, but he turned that around magnificently in Australia in 2003-04, winkling out an incredible 24 wickets in three Test matches. Three months later, his 6 for 71 on a flat pitch at Multan helped India win a Test in Pakistan for the first time. Kumble's batting average in Tests makes him something of a bowling allrounder, though in the one-day game his nervy running between the wickets has negated hindered him. He catches well, often at gully, though his movements were once described by a commentator as those of "a man on stilts". In December 2001, on his home turf at Bangalore, Kumble became India's second bowler, and their first spinner, to take 300 Test wickets. A year later, almost to the day, he passed the same mark in one-dayers. Against Australia in 2004-05 he pushed the Test mark past 400 - also at Bangalore - then skittled the Aussies in the next Test at Chennai with a spell of 7 for 25. Superstardom was to elude the low-profile Kumble throughout his career, but his deeds speak for themselves.
Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1996

 
Full name Anil Kumble
Born October 17, 1970, Bangalore, Karnataka
Major teams India, ACC Asian XI, Karnataka, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Legbreak googly


 Career statistics

 
Test debut  England v India at Manchester - Aug 9-14, 1990
ODI debut  India v Sri Lanka at Sharjah - Apr 25, 1990
First-class span  1989/90 - 2005/06
List A span  1989/90 - 2005
Bowling
  MatchInnBallsRunswktsBestAvg.
Tests132236408501835561974/1029.65
ODIs2712651449610412337612/630.89
T20s12122773501114/331.81
Batting
  MatchInnRunsAvg.HS10050
Tests132173250617.77110*15
ODIs27113693810.532600
T20s126217.00800

Editor: Nishanth Gopinathan.