Anil Kumble: 619 Test Wickets, 10/74 vs Pakistan — Only Second Bowler to Take All 10 in an Innings
Anil Kumble was born on 17 October 1970 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. He played 132 Tests: 619 wickets at 29.65, 35 five-wicket hauls, 8 ten-wicket match hauls. He played 271 ODIs: 337 wickets at 30.89. He is India's all-time highest wicket-taker in Test cricket. On 7 February 1999 at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, Kumble took 10 wickets for 74 runs in a single innings against Pakistan — only the second bowler in Test history to achieve this feat, after Jim Laker's 10/53 vs Australia at Old Trafford in 1956. India won the match by 212 runs. Kumble was a right-arm leg-spin bowler but relied more on accuracy, top-spin, and bounce than turn — his wickets came through beating the bat and inducing edges rather than excessive drift. He bowled with a broken jaw strapped in bandaging during India's West Indies tour in 2002, taking the wicket of Brian Lara. He was India's Test captain from 2007 to 2008 and later became head coach of the Indian team (2016–2017).
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, taking 619 wickets at 29.65 with 35 five-wicket hauls and 8 ten-wicket match hauls — making him India's all-time highest wicket-taker in Tests. He played 271 ODIs, taking 337 wickets at 30.89. A right-arm leg-spin bowler, Kumble was different from classical wrist-spinners — he generated exceptional accuracy, pace off the pitch, and bounce rather than relying on lateral turn. His pace through the air was higher than most spinners, and he extracted sharp bounce on turning surfaces and on good batting pitches alike.
10/74: Only the Second Time in Test History
On 7 February 1999, in the 2nd innings of the 2nd Test at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, Anil Kumble took 10 wickets for 74 runs against Pakistan — all 10 Pakistani wickets in a single Test innings, only the second instance of this feat in Test history (after Jim Laker's 10/53 vs Australia at Old Trafford on 27 July 1956). Pakistan's second innings target was 420; they were bowled out for 207. Kumble's analysis: 26.3 overs, 9 maidens, 10 wickets for 74 runs. He took the wickets in sequence: Shahid Afridi, Saeed Anwar, Ijaz Ahmed, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Yousuf Youhana, Moin Khan, Azhar Mahmood, Saqlain Mushtaq, Waqar Younis, and Wasim Akram. The last wicket (Wasim Akram) completed the feat — team-mate Javagal Srinath deliberately eased off and allowed Kumble to take all 10. India won by 212 runs. The 10/74 remains one of cricket's rarest achievements.
Broken Jaw and Bowling in Bandages
Kumble's most celebrated act of toughness came in January 2002 during India's Test series in West Indies. He suffered a hairline jaw fracture while batting against Mervyn Dillon in the 4th Test at Antigua. Despite the injury, he came out to bowl in West Indies' second innings with his jaw strapped up in bandaging — and dismissed Brian Lara for 16, one of the key wickets in India's push for a win. The image of Kumble bowling in a white facial bandage has become iconic. India ended up drawing the match and the series — a remarkable result in the Caribbean. Kumble was India's Test captain from 2007 to 2008 (after Rahul Dravid stepped down); he led India to series wins over Bangladesh, Pakistan, and South Africa before retiring. He served as India head coach from 2016 to 2017.
Frequently asked questions
How did Anil Kumble take 10 wickets in an innings in 1999 and what makes it so rare?
Anil Kumble's 10/74 vs Pakistan at Feroz Shah Kotla on 7 February 1999 is rare because only two bowlers in all of Test cricket history have taken all 10 wickets in a single innings: Jim Laker (10/53 vs Australia, Old Trafford, 27 July 1956) and Kumble. In 91 years of Test cricket between Laker's feat (1956) and 2026, no other bowler has achieved it. Kumble dismissed all 10 Pakistan batsmen — Afridi, Anwar, Ijaz Ahmed, Inzamam, Yousuf, Moin Khan, Azhar Mahmood, Saqlain Mushtaq, Waqar Younis, and Wasim Akram — in 26.3 overs with 9 maidens. Team-mate Javagal Srinath deliberately ensured Kumble took the 10th wicket. India won by 212 runs. The rarity of 10 in an innings is underlined by the fact that a second wicket is needed to end an over, so only one bowler can bowl in each over — the feat requires consistent success across all 10 of a team's wickets.
What type of bowler was Anil Kumble and how was he different from other leg-spinners?
Anil Kumble was a right-arm leg-spin bowler but is often described as an 'atypical' leg-spinner. Most classical leg-spinners rely on sharp lateral turn (drifting away from a right-handed batsman's off stump and turning back in sharply). Kumble did not generate enormous lateral turn — he relied instead on accuracy, pace through the air (above normal for a spinner), sharp bounce, and the top-spinner (which skidded straight on rather than turning). His wickets most often came from edges caught in the slip cordon, or from batsmen playing for turn that didn't come. He was extremely difficult to score off because of his accuracy — his economy rate was low by Test standards for a spinner. This made him especially effective on the low-turning pitches India plays on, whereas classical leg-spinners needed more assistance from the pitch. His 619 Test wickets at 29.65 is India's all-time record; he remains 3rd on the all-time Test wickets list (after Murali 800 and Warne 708).