Top 10 centuries by tail-enders in international cricket

#3 Anil Kumble – 110* vs. England, The Oval (2007)

Anil Kumble’s smile on reaching his hundred said it all!

On the cusp of a memorable series win in England, an Indian batting line-up boasting of the likes of Sachin, Dravid and Laxman had surprisingly failed to record even a single individual century. Heading into the third and final test match at The Oval, Anil Kumble took matters into his own hands, compiling a maiden hundred that all but sealed the series in India’s favour.

Riding on the back of Kumble’s magnificent unbeaten 110, India posted a formidable first-innings total of 664. For a man having 7 first-class hundreds to his credit, Kumble hadn’t quite done justice to his batting potential. But on a particularly cold afternoon in London, everything came through for Kumble, the batsman.

With Dhoni blasting away at the other end, Kumble moved along smoothly, cutting Chris Tremlett for boundaries behind point and coming down the wicket to Panesar. Once RP Singh departed, number eleven batsman Sreesanth stuck around at the other end just long enough for Kumble to reach the milestone. With an inside edge off Panesar, the three figures were reached and the smile on Kumble’s face said it all!