5 memorable Anil Kumble moments on the cricket field

Anil Kumble, nicknamed Jumbo has been the most successful bowler to have played the game of cricket for India. Kumble bagged 619 wickets in 132 Tests at an average of 29.65 which has been the highest for any Indian bowler in Tests and only third highest in history of Test cricket.

In ODIs, Kumble has bagged 337 wickets in 271 ODIs at an average of 30.89 which also is the highest for any Indian bowler in ODIs. The champion bowler has led India to many victories in international cricket during his playing days. Here is taking a look at five such memorable Anil Kumble moments on the cricket field.

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#5. The Wounded Warrior, Antigua, 2002:

Kumble bowled with a broken jaw and dismissed Brian Lara in that spell

In a Test match against the West Indies in Antigua in 2002, Anil Kumble was hit by a bouncer by Merv Dillon and as a result of which had a broken jaw.

Kumble, undisturbed by the blow, batted bravely for another 20 minutes. But the true braveness was seen when Kumble bowled 14 continuous overs with a broken jaw and even dismissed the star West Indian batsman Brian Lara in that spell.

The spell of 14 overs by Anil Kumble is regarded as one of the bravest acts in the history of Test cricket.

#4. 6-12, then- best figures by an Indian in ODIs, Kolkata 1993:

Kumble picked up 6 wickets for 12 runs against West Indies at Kolkata

In the final of Hero Cup in 1993, India set West Indies a modest target of 226 to win the championship. Little did the West Indies know that a 23-year-old leg spinner from India would knock their strong batting line-up cheaply.

Kumble bowled 6.1 overs, conceded 12 runs and picked up six wickets The wickets were of Carl Hooper, Roland Holder, Jimmy Adams, Anderson Cummins, Winston Benjamin and Curtly Ambrose and West Indies were bowled out for just 123 runs.

India emerged victorious at the Eden Gardens and a new hero emerged in Indian cricket.

#3. The Batting Hero at the Oval, London 2007:

Anil Kumble scored a century against England at the Oval in 2007

In the 2007 Test series against England, India were 1-0 up in the three-Test series. The star batsmen Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly could not reach the three-digit score in the Test series.

However, India found the unlikely centurion with the bat in the third Test in Anil Kumble. He scored an unbeaten 110 runs in 227 balls with 16 boundaries and a six and battled hard against a strong English bowling attack consisting of Sidebottom, Anderson, Tremlett and Panesar.

The century by Kumble helped India draw the Oval test and clinch the three-Test series by a margin of 1-0.

#2. Captain Cool, India’s Tour to Australia 2007-2008:

Kumble showed his maturity as a skipper on India's tour to Australia in 2007-2008

Rahul Dravid resigned as the Indian skipper after the tour of England in 2007 and India had a new skipper in Anil Kumble. In a tough assignment to the tour of Australia, Kumble emerged a true leader. The “Monkey gate” controversy between the Indian and Australian players was very well handled by him.

Kumble, with all his experience and maturity, handled the issues on and off the field pretty well. He even led India to a famous win at Perth in the 3rd Test. Though India lost the series by a margin of 2-1, Kumble emerged as a true leader and earned the respect of one and all in the cricket fraternity.

#1. Perfect 10: Delhi, 1999:

Kumble picked up 10 wickets in an innings against Pakistan at Delhi in 1999

Pakistan beat India in the first Test at Chennai and were 1-0 up in the two-Test series. In the 2nd Test at Delhi, Pakistan were set a target of 420 runs. They started the chase perfectly by scoring 101 runs for the first wicket.

Anil Kumble then ran through the Pakistan batting line up and scalped all 10 wickets of the Pakistan innings and became only the second bowler after Jim Laker to achieve this feat. The perfect 10 by Anil Kumble helped India win the Test by 212 runs and draw level the series 1-1.

The leg-spinner picked up the wickets of Shahid Afridi, Ijaz Ahmed, Inzamam Ul Haq, Yousuf Youhana, Moin Khan, Saeed Anwar, Saleem Malik, Mushtaq Ahmed, Saqlain Mushtaq and Wasim Akram while achieving this world record.

The spell by Anil Kumble is regarded as the best spell by any bowler in modern-day Test cricket.