This is Part 6 of Legends of Indian Cricket, our 20-part series on the players who shaped the game in India. New here? Start with Part 1: Vinoo Mankad, or read the previous part, Part 5: Sachin Tendulkar.
He did not turn the ball as much as classical leg-spinners, and he bowled at close to medium pace. Yet Anil Kumble, born in Bengaluru in 1970, became India's greatest Test wicket-taker through accuracy, bounce and an unbreakable will to win.
A different kind of leg-spinner
Kumble, an engineering graduate, relied on fast, skidding deliveries, top-spinners and flippers that hurried batters on Indian pitches. In the 1993 Hero Cup final he took 6 for 12 against the West Indies, then the best figures by an Indian in ODIs.
Perfect ten
On 7 February 1999 in Delhi, Kumble took all ten Pakistan wickets in an innings, finishing with 10 for 74. He was only the second bowler in Test history to do so, after England's Jim Laker in 1956.
The broken jaw
In Antigua in 2002, Kumble's jaw was broken by a bouncer while batting. He returned with his face bandaged to bowl 14 overs and dismissed Brian Lara. It remains one of cricket's great images of courage.
Career in numbers
- 132 Tests and 619 wickets, the most by an Indian.
- 271 ODIs and 337 wickets.
- A Test century, 110 not out, at The Oval in 2007.
- Captained India in 14 Tests in 2007–08.
After playing
Kumble served as head coach of India in 2016–17, chaired the ICC Cricket Committee and mentored IPL teams. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2005 and inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2015.
Legacy
Kumble set the standard for the Indian spinners who followed, including Harbhajan Singh and R Ashwin.
Statistics are for international cricket and are correct to the best of our knowledge as of October 2026; figures for active players will change.
Next in the series: Part 7: Rahul Dravid.
