Anil Kumble: India's Greatest Leg-Spinner and 619 Test Wickets

Anil Kumble is India's greatest bowler and the third-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket history with 619 wickets. His career from 1990 to 2008 transformed India from a team that relied entirely on batting into one with a world-class bowling attack — largely because Kumble alone could take 10 wickets in a Test.

The 10-Wicket Innings: Delhi 1999

On 7 February 1999, Anil Kumble achieved one of cricket's rarest feats: 10 wickets in a single Test innings. Against Pakistan at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, Kumble took 10/74 in Pakistan's second innings — every single wicket. Only Jim Laker had achieved 10 in an innings before (10/53 against Australia in 1956), making Kumble only the second bowler in 143 years of Test cricket to do it. His final wicket — Wasim Akram — was caught at slip by Javagal Srinath off a delivery that kept low.

Bowling Style: The Flipper and the Pace

Kumble was unconventional for a leg-spinner. He bowled at a distinctly faster pace than most leg-spinners — sometimes approaching 80 kph, faster than many wrist spinners. He relied less on massive turn and more on bounce, accuracy, and his lethal 'flipper' (a ball that slides on instead of turning). Batters often found it harder to read his pace than his spin. On turning Indian pitches he could be devastating; on slower English or Australian pitches he was less effective, which is reflected in his slightly lower wicket average at home versus away.

Career Statistics

Captaincy and Later Career

Kumble captained India in 14 Tests in 2007-08 when Dhoni was not yet captain. He famously played through the 2002 West Indies Test with a broken jaw that required a bandage to hold it in place — he bowled Brian Lara with that jaw strapped up, in one of cricket's most inspiring performances of playing through pain. He retired in 2008 after India's series win in Australia. He later served as India's head coach from 2016 to 2017, resigning after a reported rift with Virat Kohli.