Anil Kumble (born 17 October 1970) is an Indian former cricketer and captain, the country’s greatest match-winning bowler. A tall leg-spinner who relied on bounce, accuracy and relentless pressure more than on turn, he took 619 wickets in Test cricket, the most by an Indian and at his retirement the third-highest of all time. In 1999 he took all ten wickets in an innings against Pakistan, a feat achieved only once before in Test history.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Anil Radhakrishna Kumble |
| Nickname | Jumbo |
| Born | 17 October 1970, Bangalore, Karnataka |
| Age | 56 |
| Sport | Cricket |
| Role | Right-arm leg-spin bowler |
| Tests | 132 matches, 619 wickets (1990–2008) |
| One-day internationals | 271 matches, 337 wickets |
| Best bowling | 10 for 74 v Pakistan, Delhi, 1999 |
| Education | R. V. College of Engineering, Bangalore (B.E. in mechanical engineering) |
| Awards | Arjuna Award (1995), Padma Shri (2005); ICC Hall of Fame (2015) |
| Spouse | Chethana Kumble |
| Children | 3 |
Early Life
He was born in Bangalore; the family takes its name from a village in the Kasaragod district of Kerala. He began as a medium-pace bowler and batsman in the city’s club cricket and switched to leg-spin in his teens. He took a degree in mechanical engineering while playing for Karnataka.
Career
Beginnings
He made his Test debut in England in 1990, a bespectacled nineteen-year-old. He established himself in South Africa in 1992 and then, at home in 1993, took twenty-one wickets in three Tests against England. For the next decade and a half India seldom lost at home, and he was the chief reason.
Method
He was six feet two, with a long run and a high, whirling action, and bowled quicker than other spinners. He turned the ball little. His weapons were the top-spinner that hurried on, the flipper, bounce from a length, and an accuracy that gave batsmen nothing. Critics said for years that he could not win matches abroad; in the second half of his career he did.
The Perfect Ten
On 7 February 1999, at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, Pakistan, set 420 to win, were 101 without loss. Kumble then took all ten wickets, for 74 runs in 26.3 overs. Only Jim Laker of England, in 1956, had done it before.
The broken jaw
At Antigua in 2002 a bouncer broke his jaw while he was batting. He was due to fly home for surgery. He came out instead with his head strapped in bandages, bowled fourteen overs in succession and dismissed Brian Lara.
Records
- 619 Test wickets, with thirty-five hauls of five or more in an innings
- 337 wickets in one-day internationals, including 6 for 12 against the West Indies in the final of the Hero Cup in 1993
- a Test century, 110 not out at The Oval in 2007, in his 118th match
Captain
He was made Test captain in November 2007, at thirty-seven. He led the side on the ill-tempered tour of Australia that winter. After the Sydney Test, marred by umpiring errors and an accusation of racial abuse, he said that only one team had been playing in the spirit of the game, and India went on to win at Perth. His dignity through the affair was widely praised.
He retired in the middle of a Test against Australia at Delhi on 2 November 2008, with eleven stitches in a finger of his bowling hand.
After Playing
- chairman of the International Cricket Council’s cricket committee, 2012–2021
- president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, 2010–2013
- captain and then mentor of the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League; later with Mumbai Indians and head coach of the Punjab team
- head coach of India from June 2016. In his year the team won five Test series and reached the final of the Champions Trophy. He resigned in June 2017, saying that the captain, Virat Kohli, had reservations about his style.
He runs a company that develops technology for sport, and a foundation for wildlife conservation; he is a keen wildlife photographer.
Personal Life
He is married to Chethana; they have three children. A traffic circle in the centre of Bengaluru bears his name.
He played nearly all his cricket alongside Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly.
Featured image: Anil Kumble. Photo by CRICKETNEXT, licensed under CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
