Indian legendary spinner turns 52 today

Early Life

Happy Birthday Anil Kumble: Kumble was born on October 17, 1970, in Kumbla, Kerala, to his father Krishna Swamy and mother Saroja, both from Bangalore. Kumble has a brother named Dinesh Kumble. He is married to Chetana Kumble and they have three kids together: Mayas Kumble, Aaruni, and Svasti Kumble.

On November 30, 1989, Kumble took four wickets and two catches in his Karnataka first-class debut against Hyderabad. Following his selection, he played for India’s Under-19s against Pakistan’s Under-19s, recording scores of 113 and 76 respectively.

Anil Kumble the Genious Spin Bowler

Anil Kumble was possibly India’s best match-winner in history. He was an unconventional spinner with little ball turn. Kumble was not your typical spinner despite being tall and lean in stature.

He didn’t generate ripples around the batsmen like Shane Warne or the tricky old fox Muralitharan. With 619 Test wickets, he finished second only to the legendary team of Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan.

The famous Broken Jaw (Bandage) spell

When Kumble bandaged his broken jaw to cast a spectacular spell in Antigua in 2002, his tenacity was on display. Midway through the 2000s, after a decade of average away performances, he used an improved googly, more sidespin, and more variation in flight and on the crease to help his team win memorable matches in Headingley, Adelaide, Multan, and Kingston. This demonstrated his capacity to learn and hone his skill.

Captaincy

Less than a month after turning 37, he was named India’s Test captain for the home series against Pakistan in 2007-08. However, he went on to win the series, India’s first home victory over Pakistan in 27 years, and was crucial in keeping the team together during the contentious trip to Australia, where he also led India in wickets with 20 in four Tests

Records

  • 403 International matches
  • 956 International wickets
  • 3444 International runs
  • Most wickets by an Indian in international cricket
  • The second Test bowler to record 10 wickets in an innings

Awards

  • In 1995, the Government of India presented the Arjuna award, a sporting honor.
  • One of the 1996 Wisden Cricketers of the Year.
  • In 2005, the Indian government’s civilian honor, the Padma Shri.
  • Anil Kumble’s name has been given to a famous crossroads on M. G. Road in Bengaluru.
  • His five-for-five IPL 2009 performance against the Rajasthan Royals was named the “Best Breakthrough Performance IPL 2009.”
  • In 2015, ICC inducted him into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, an ICC sports award.

Retirement

On November 2, 2008, Anil Kumble announced his retirement from playing in international test cricket, first-class cricket, and list A cricket.

Coaching Career

June 24, 2016 BCCI named Kumble as the Indian Cricket Team’s head coach for a year. However he left a year later because of ideological issues with the administration.

In October 2019, Kings XI Punjab appointed him to serve as their director of cricket operations and head coach.

Birthday Wishes

Wishing Anil Kumble a happy birthday and a wonderful day. Let’s wish him luck and prosperity in the future.