Anil Kumble bowls a googly after Delhi test!
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Indian skipper Anil Kumble bowled a googly, a top-spinner and a leg-break, all rolled into one, when he announced his retirement from international cricket after India won the test series in Delhi on November 2. This came as a bolt from the blue for his friends and fans alike.
Anil, however, was contemplating a quit for some time and the finger injury at the Feroze Shah Kotla grounds seems to have did him in.
Making his debut against England at Manchester in 1990, Anil played 132 test matches claiming 619 wickets which is the highest number of wickets to be taken by any Indian bowler. That makes him the third leading bowler in the overall rating after Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan who has taken 756 wickets and Australia’s Shane Warne who has taken 708 wickets.
Anil became the only bowler in test history after Jim Laker to claim all 10 wickets of one innings when he did that against Pakistan at Delhi in 1999 making it his career best performance. He is also the only Indian to have claimed over 100 wickets against one country. He achieved this feat by taking 111 wickets in 20 test matches against Australia.
The world record for most caught and bowled decisions is in Anil’s pocket with 35 dismissals. With 156 dismissals, he also holds the world record for most lbw dismissals.
Spectators got a taste of Anil’s grit and determination when he dismissed Brian Lara during a 14 over spell against West Indies at Antigua in 2002. He has won 10 ‘Man of the Match’ awards in his career that spanned 18 years.
Anil, who started off as a leg spinner, has put up some sterling performances with his bat as well. He scored his maiden century in 2007 at the Oval test against England turning the tide of the series in India’s favour.
After the early exit of the Indian team from 2007 World Cup, Anil announced his retirement from one day international matches. He captured 337 ODI wickets in 271 matches.
The sudden exit of Anil Kumble may make way for Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s captaincy in test cricket and help Amit Mishra find a place in the India XI. Anil himself made a debut after Indian spin bowling hit a lean patch after the retirement of all the top Indian spinners such as Bedi, Prasanna, Venkatraghavan and Chandrashekhar.
The game of cricket will remember Anil not only as a great spinner but also as an accomplished sportsman and a great human being.
Anil Kumble may not have the cutting edge of Muttiah Muralidharan…he may not be demonstrative like Shane Warne…but his ‘yoyos’ which bounce off the pitch and swish up to the batsman would be remembered for ever!
