User:Sdsouza/Anil Kumble

Anil Kumble(Kannada:ಅನಿಲ್‌ ಕುಂಬ್ಳೆ) (born 17 October, 1970 in Bangalore, Karnataka) is an Indian cricketer who has been a member of the Indian cricket team since 1990. He is currently the highest wicket-taker for India in both One Day International and Test matches, having taken over 500 Test wickets and 300 ODI wickets. He is one of only two bowlers ever to have taken all 10 wickets in a test innings. Among leg spin from all countries, only Shane Warne has taken more Test wickets. Kumble is currently ranked the 4th best bowler in Tests by the International Cricket Council.

Life

Kumble studied Mechanical Engineering at R.V. College of Engineering. His family, of Kannadiga origin, takes its name from Kumble village situated in the Kasargod district of Kerala, close to the Karnataka border: his paternal grandfather hailed from this village. His maternal family hails from Karnataka. He is called "Jumbo", because his deliveries, for a spinner, are "as fast as a Jumbo jet".

Career

He is a right-arm leg spinner with an unorthodox style, most famous for his flipper. He started his career as a medium pacer, which has given him a useful faster delivery. He made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka at Sharjah in the Australasia Cup on April 25, 1990. He also made his Test debut in that year on India's tour of England in the second Test. It was when India toured South Africa in 1992 that he established himself as a quality international spinner, taking 8 wickets in the second Test. Later that year, when England toured India, he took 21 wickets in just 3 Test matches at an average of 19.8. He took his first 50 Test wickets in just 10 Test matches, the fastest an Indian bowler had achieved the milestone. He went on to become the second fastest Indian bowler to reach 100 Test wickets (in 21 Test matches), after Erapalli Prasanna. On November 27, 1993, he took 6 wickets for 12 runs in an ODI against the West Indies at Calcutta, a new record for best bowling figures by an Indian, one that has remained unbeaten for 10 years.

His performance in ODI cricket peaked in 1996, the year in which the World Cup was held in Asia, when he took 61 ODI wickets at an average of 20.24 and an economy rate of 4.06.

Kumble is one of only two bowlers ever (the other being Jim Laker of England) to have taken all 10 wickets in a Test innings. Kumble achieved this against Pakistan in the second Test played in New Delhi, India between 4 February and 8 February 1999, although by failing to dismiss Pakistan's Waqar Younis in either innings, he missed out on the achievement of dismissing all 11 batsmen in a Test match. It has been said that once he had got 9 wickets his friend and teammate Javagal Srinath tried not to take a wicket so that Kumble could take the 10th. The achievement was commemorated by naming a traffic circle in Bangalore after him.

On 6 October, 2004, Kumble became only the third spinner in the history of Test cricket (after Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan) and the second Indian bowler (after Kapil Dev) to capture 400 Test wickets. Reaching the mark took him 30 fewer Test matches than it took Kapil Dev, and 7 fewer Tests than Shane Warne. He is one of only 2 Indian bowlers (the other being Javagal Srinath) and one of only 2 spinners (the other being Muralitharan) to have taken over 300 ODI wickets. In the India-West Indies series of summer 2006, Kumble took 6-78 in the second innings of the final Test in Sabina Park, Jamaica, and bowled India to a historic series victory; it had been 35 years since a similar series victory. During the first innings of the match, Kumble scored 45 and became the second player in the history of the game (after Shane Warne) to score 2000 runs and take over 500 Test wickets.

On December 10, 2004, Anil Kumble became India's highest wicket taker when he trapped Mohammad Rafique of Bangladesh to surpass Kapil Dev's haul of 434 wickets. On 11 March 2006, he took his 500th Test wicket. On June 11 2006, Kumble passed Courtney Walsh on 520 Test wickets to take 4th place.

He is also one of the 4 bowlers, alongside Richard Hadlee, Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan), and the only Indian bowler ever, to have taken 5 wickets in a Test innings 31 times. He has also taken 10 wickets in a match 8 times. He also holds the world record for the largest number of caught-and-bowled dismissals in tests, 25. His ODI bowling average, which is above 30, is considered high compared to other great bowlers, and he is known to be a much better bowler in India than elsewhere. He is also one of 4 Indian bowlers to have conceded over 250 runs in a Test match, although he took 12 wickets in that match. He is known for bowling tirelessly, having bowled 72 overs in a Test innings once. He is also remembered for his tenacity in bowling even when injured, especially after an incident in a match against West Indies where, despite having his broken jaw being heavily taped, he came back to prise out the wicket of Aarya

His Test batting average is acceptable for a lower order batsmen; however, his unconvincing running in ODIs, giving him a fairly ordinary average of around 10, has prevented him from becoming a genuine cricketing all-rounder. His fielding is considered adequate, and he usually fields on the boundary or at gully.

He is perhaps India's best current spinner in a side which is beginning once again to consider fast bowling a viable attacking option. He is expected to announce retirement from ODI Cricket when he returns to India from the 2007 Cricket World Cup

Awards

• One of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year, in 1996
• Padma Shri, a civilian award from the Government of India, in 2005