Pic Courtesy: twitter
Internet Desk: On the auspicious 47th birthday of Anil Kumble, we take a look back at the veteran spinner’s top 5 spells of all times. Nicknamed as ‘Jumbo’ the leg-spinner is considered to be the one of the greatest that the nation has produced. A total of 132 caps and 271 ODI matches, Kumble has almost 1000 wickets under his belt. He also happens to the only bowler he scalp all the 10 wickets in an innings after Jim Laker.
- 4/75 & 10/74, v Pakistan, Delhi, 1999
This match happens to be one of the finest test matches ever played in the cricketing history. Kumble became the only bowler after Jim Laker to take all the 10 wickets in an innings ast Delhi’s Firoz Shah Kotla’s stadium against Pakistan. With India trailing 1-0 in the series, Jumbo bagged 4 wickets in the first innings followed by a brilliant spell in the second innings where he bagged all the 10 wickets coming to bowl after lunch.
- 7/48 & 6/133, v Australia, Chennai
The mighty Aussies who won the first test were sent back to the pavilion on 235 after a solid start to the game. A fine spell from Kumble saw his taking 7 wickets in the first innings. He again scalped 6 wickets in the second innings thereby helping India set a target of 229 with a spare day at hand. Despite the match ended in a draw, Kumble was adjudges as the Man of the Match.
- 4/25, v South Africa, Mumbai, 1996
Yet another match winning performance from Kumble saw India emerge victorious against the Proteas. With a low score of just 220 to defend, Kumble dismissed the hard hitters Gary Kirsten and Jonty Rhodes and finally dismissed other two to turn the tide in India’s favour. The end result saw India winning the game by 35 runs with Kumble being the Man of the Match.
- 8/141 & 4/138, v Australia, Sydney, 2004
This game saw Kumble registering a record feat yet again when he registered the fourth best figures by an Indian in an overseas game. He scalped 8 wickets in the first innings and then bagged 4 in the second innings which could prove vital for India’s victory. However a brilliant knock from Steve Waugh saw the game being ended up as a draw.
- 6/12 v West Indies, Kolkata, 1993
A gem of a spell from Kumble saw him tearing the Windies in the finals of the Hero Cup at Eden Gardens where he took 6/12. Almost a crowd of 100,000 saw India comfortably winning the game by 102 runs and there is never a question as to who was the Man of the Match- yes indeed it was Kumble.