Anil Kumble: 10 Wickets in an Innings, 619 Test Wickets — India's Greatest Leg-Spinner
Anil Kumble was born on 17 October 1970 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. He played 132 Tests for India (1990–2008), taking 619 wickets at an average of 29.65 — the third-highest wicket tally in Test cricket history behind Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708). On 7 February 1999 against Pakistan at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, Kumble became only the second bowler in Test history to take all 10 wickets in a single innings, finishing with 10/74. Jim Laker's 10/53 against Australia in 1956 was the only previous all-ten innings. Kumble also took 337 ODI wickets at 30.89 in 271 matches. He was a right-arm leg-spin bowler who bowled faster than conventional leg-spinners — typically at 85–90 km/h rather than 60–70 km/h — relying on accuracy and overspin ('top-spinner') rather than sharp turning leg-breaks.
Anil Kumble was born on 17 October 1970 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. He made his Test debut against England in August 1990 and played 132 Tests from 1990 to 2008, taking 619 wickets at 29.65 — the third-highest in Test cricket history. He was India's first bowler to take 500 Test wickets. His bowling style was distinctive: a right-arm leg-spinner who bowled faster than the conventional leg-break bowler (at 85–90 km/h), relying on flight, accuracy, and a sharp top-spinner rather than heavily turning leg-breaks. His delivery was nicknamed 'the Kumble' in India — a fast, flat, accurate delivery that dipped sharply at the batter.
10/74: Joining Jim Laker in Test History
On 7 February 1999 in the Second Test between India and Pakistan at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, Anil Kumble took 10 wickets for 74 runs in Pakistan's second innings — becoming only the second bowler in 122 years of Test cricket history to take all 10 wickets in a single innings. Jim Laker had taken 10/53 against Australia at Old Trafford in 1956; no one had taken all 10 in a Test innings in the 43 years between. Kumble took the wickets on the fifth and final day with India needing to win to take the series. He bowled 26.3 overs and dismissed Saeed Anwar, Wajahatullah Wasti, Ijaz Ahmed, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Yousuf Youhana, Moin Khan, Wasim Akram, Saqlain Mushtaq, Waqar Younis, and Mushtaq Ahmed — every Pakistan batsman. India won by 212 runs. Javagal Srinath, bowling from the other end, was unable to take a wicket to deny Kumble the tenth.
619 Wickets: India's Greatest Wicket-Taker
Kumble's 619 Test wickets at 29.65 across 132 Tests make him the third-highest wicket-taker in history and India's all-time leading wicket-taker. His average of 29.65 is higher than Muralitharan (22.72) or Warne (25.41) — reflecting that he bowled primarily in India on subcontinental pitches where both teams' spinners were effective. In overseas conditions — England, Australia, South Africa — Kumble was less dominant, averaging around 36 outside India versus 23 in India. His effectiveness at home (310 of his 619 Test wickets came in India) and his longevity (18 seasons) drove his total. He also scored 2,506 Test runs at 17.77, including a half-century. He retired from all international cricket in November 2008 and later served as head coach of India (2016–2017).
Frequently asked questions
How did Anil Kumble take all 10 wickets in one innings and why hasn't it been done since?
Anil Kumble's 10/74 against Pakistan in Delhi on 7 February 1999 required a specific combination of conditions that have not been replicated in the 25+ years since: a turn-friendly fifth-day pitch at Feroz Shah Kotla that suited Kumble's style; a Pakistan batting lineup unfamiliar with his faster-than-normal leg-spin on a deteriorating surface; 26.3 overs in a single innings (an unusually long spell by a single bowler in modern cricket); and the incapacity of the bowler at the other end (Javagal Srinath, who was not turning the ball) to take any wicket during Kumble's spell. The rarity of all-10 innings: in 122 years of Test cricket between Laker (1956) and Kumble (1999), 43 years elapsed without it happening. In the 25+ years since Kumble, the all-10 has not been taken again. Modern pitch preparation generally reduces turn even on day five; rotation of bowlers and the difficulty of taking 10 wickets while a competent partner bowls at the other end make it near-impossible. Statistically, the expected probability of both all-10 innings in history happening in 125 years of Test cricket is extremely low — and both happened.