Anil Kumble’s tenure as the coach of the Indian cricket team has been no less than a dream run, but the end didn’t turn out to be smooth for the legendary Indian leg-spinner. In the recent past, he has had some heated altercations with Virat Kohli, the Indian skipper and he followed it up by stepping down from the post.
However, during his stint with the Men in Blue, he had several moments to cherish as the Indian team went on from strength to strength under Jumbo. As India search for its next Head Coach, we take you down memory lane and list down the five best moments of Anil Kumble’s journey as a coach of India.
#5 Number 1 in Test Rankings twice in two months
Test cricket is deemed to be a physically and mentally demanding format of the illustrious sport and rightly so, factoring in the rigours involved with the sport. It requires a tremendous level of persistence and grit to reach the pinnacle of Test cricket.
Under Anil Kumble, India have achieved the number one rankings as many as two times, which is commendable to say the least. In the first instance, it was Sri Lanka’s triumph over Australia by 3-0 that pushed India to the top of the pile.
They were surmounted by Pakistan following the Men in Green’s resilient show against England. However, soon after, India took an unassailable lead of 2-0 against New Zealand in Kolkata and again bagged the number one slot.
#4 Biggest Test series triumph over England since 1993
England have been a dominant force in Test cricket and have performed consistently enough to be rated among the best in the five-day format. Be it in home or overseas conditions, they have always been a team to beat. Nevertheless, India recently managed to humble them by a mammoth margin of 4-0 when England toured India in January.
After the first Test in Rajkot, England didn’t look like a side, which would struggle, but succumbed to their biggest series defeat after 1993, when Mohammad Azharuddin captained India to a 3-0 series victory.
The Test series turned out to be another feather in the cap for Kumble as India went on to win the next four games. England, after a promising, start fell away to India’s brilliance on the field with both bat and ball.
#3 Comeback against Australia with the backs to the wall
Australia are known to be a team who never like to give their opposition a sniff even when they are almost dead and buried. If their rivals are on the back-foot, Australia generally ensure that the victory is clinical.
India, during their recent home Test series against Australia, slumped to a defeat by 333 runs in the opening Test at Pune. Even in the second Test at Bengaluru, India were tottering after conceding a substantial lead.
However, some brilliant batsmanship by Cheteshwar Pujara and Co ensured that India pulled off an improbable victory. After the drawn third Test in Ranchi, India thrashed the Aussies by eight wickets.
#2 Unbeaten in a Test series
Ever since Anil Kumble took over the coaching mantle of the Indian National cricket team, India have played five Test series against West Indies, New Zealand, England, Bangladesh and Australia. The astonishing part is that they ended up unbeaten under the coaching of the leg-spinner.
Last year, in July, India toured the West Indies and beat them by 2-0 in the four-Test series. Afterwards, they whitewashed New Zealand by margins of 197, 178 and 321 runs in the three-Test series. England weren’t spared either as they stumbled to a 4-0 defeat.
Australia was India’s toughest hurdle, but India weathered the storm to turn victorious after losing the opening Test. To be precise, India lost a solitary Test, while winning 12 games out of the 17 matches under Kumble’s coaching.
#1 Finalists of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017
India, in the recent Champions Trophy, hosted by England, went on to qualify for the Finals against Pakistan in London. Albeit, they lost the game, credit should be given to India for playing brilliantly in the previous games to reach the Final showdown.
India started off with a thunderous victory against Pakistan, but suffered an improbable defeat against Sri Lanka in their second game. In their must-win clash, India stormed past South Africa to book a berth in the semi-finals.
In the semi-final, they thrashed Bangladesh by nine wickets to qualify for their second consecutive finals in the Champions Trophy. Though India couldn’t go the distance in the Championship, Kumble’s role was pivotal in their journey.
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