Team India’s veteran spinner Anil Kumble has turned 55 today (17 October). Kumble has a record in Indian cricket which is difficult to break in the near future after the retirement of Ravichandran Ashwin. Whatever he did on the cricket field, examples of it are given even today. Kumble was truly a great legend of Indian cricket because he did not give up in the toughest situations.
Kumble, popularly known as Jumbo, made his Test debut in 1990 against England in Manchester, while he played his last Test match against Australia in 2008. Kumble played his last ODI match in 2007. He has also been the coach of the Indian team. Apart from this, he also played important responsibilities with many IPL teams.
He has also captained the Indian team. He captained the Indian team in an ODI match in the year 2002 and won it as captain. Kumble captained the Indian team in 14 test matches between 2007 and 2008.
In these 14 matches, they won 3 matches, lost 5 matches and 6 matches were drawn. He was made the Test captain for the home series against Pakistan in 2007–08, where they won the series, which was India’s first home win against Pakistan in 27 years. After this, during the controversial tour of Australia, he played a big role in keeping the team united. In that series, he was also India’s most successful bowler by taking 20 wickets in four Test matches.
Kumble has a historical record in his name, which is remembered even today. He became the second bowler after Jim Laker to take 10 wickets in an innings in Test cricket. He achieved this feat in 1999 at Delhi’s Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium (now Arun Jaitley Stadium). Took all 10 wickets in an innings against Pakistan. Later, New Zealand’s Ajaz Patel also achieved this feat in the Test match against India in Mumbai in 2021.
4⃣0⃣3⃣ intl. games 👍
9⃣5⃣6⃣ intl. Wickets
Only the second bowler in Test cricket to scalp 10 wickets in an innings 👏wishing former #TeamIndia captain @anilkumble1074 a very happy birthday.
Let’s revisit his brilliant 1⃣0⃣-wicket haul against Pakistan 🎥 🔽 pic.twitter.com/BFrxNqKZsN
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 17, 2021
Three years after taking a perfect 10 against Pakistan in 1999, Kumble did something in 2002 which is still an example in Indian cricket. Then Kumble decided to bowl against the West Indies team in the 2002 Antigua Test with a broken jaw. In an interview, Kumble told that when his wife Chetna saw this, she thought he was joking. Despite this, Kumble took a bold decision. Kumble then bowled 14 consecutive overs with a broken jaw and dismissed Lara. Kumble was hit by Mervyn Dillon’s ball while batting at number seven in that match, but despite bleeding, he batted for 20 more minutes.
Peak Male Content – Anil Kumble Dismissing Lara With A Broken Jaw
“Even If ID*e, I’ll Bowl One Last Over” – The Spirit Of Kumble pic.twitter.com/9zBFpF4GuH
— Abhinav prakash (AP12) (@imabhi0012) July 24, 2025
So this record of Kumble will not be broken!
Ravichandran Ashwin took retirement from international cricket on 18 December 2024 last year in the middle of the Australian tour. As long as he played, it seemed that he could break Kumble’s two records. The first was the most wickets taken by India in Test cricket and the second was the overall Test wickets taken by Team India.
Kumble had taken a total of 953 international wickets for India, this record still stands. Whereas Ashwin had taken 765 wickets for India in 287 international matches. Kumble had 619 wickets in 132 Test matches, while Ashwin took 537 wickets in 106 matches.
Among the currently active bowlers from India, the closest is 36-year-old Ravindra Jadeja, who has taken 338 wickets in 87 Tests. Whereas Jadeja has taken 623 wickets in 365 international matches. In such a situation, it is clear that Anil Kumble’s record has stood at present and will be difficult to break in the future.
—- End —-
