Anil Kumble’s 5 best spells in Tests

Anil Kumble (Source: AFP) 

Former spin legend, Anil Kumble, was undoubtedly one of the all-time spin greats who ever played Test cricket. In his 15-year-long Test career of more than 18 years, Anil Kumble is still among the biggest match-winners for India even after more than 18 years of his retirement.

Kumble is the leading wicket-taker for India in the longest format of the game, with 619 wickets in 236 innings of the 132 games he played for India from 1990 to 2008. Besides his legendary spin-bowling legacy, the spin wizard played a vital role in India’s win in the crucial games, especially in the 90s and the early 2000s.

That said, here’s a look at the five best and impactful spells bowled by Anil Kumble in his glorious Test career of almost two decades.​

Anil Kumble’s five best spells in Tests

10/74 vs Pakistan - Delhi Test, 1999

After losing the nail-biting thriller in Chennai by a narrow margin of 12 runs, India took on the arch-rivals in the second and final Test of the two-match series in 1999. The hosts’ skipper, Mohammad Azharuddin, won the toss and decided to bat first. India posted a total of 252 runs in the first innings courtesy of Sadagoppan Ramesh’s 60-run knock, followed by skipper Azharuddin’s 67 runs.

In response to India’s 252-run total, the visitors were bundled out at 172 runs, including two notable contributions by Shahid Afridi (32) and Saleem Malik (31). Furthermore, India scored 339 runs in the second innings, setting Pakistan a massive 420-run target.

Later in the second innings, what unfolded in Delhi hadn’t happened in Test cricket for 44 years since 1956. Everyone present in the Arun Jaitley Stadium was left awestruck when Anil Kumble became only the second bowler in the history of cricket to claim all the 10 wickets of an opponent in a Test innings after England’s Jim Laker achieved the same feat against Australia in 1956. Kumble registered the astonishing figures of ‘10 wickets for just 74 runs’ in the second innings to wrap Pakistan at 207 runs.

Eventually, India won the game by a massive margin of 212 runs to clear the books with Pakistan after the Chennai debacle. Kumble won the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his sensational ‘once in a lifetime’ bowling performance.

7/59 vs Sri Lanka - Lucknow Test, 1994

India and Sri Lanka faced each other in the first Test of the three-match series in 1994. The hosts’ skipper, Mohammad Azharuddin, won the toss and decided to bat first. On the back of Navjot Sidhu's (124) and Sachin Tendulkar’s (142) centuries, followed by Sanjay Manjrekar’s half-century (61), India posted a big total of 511 runs in the first innings.

Furthermore, India’s bowling attack, led by Anil Kumble (4/69), bowled out the Islanders at the score of 218 runs in the first innings before forcing them to follow on. Later in the second innings, Anil Kumble’s spin web once again trapped the Sri Lankan batters, and this time, he claimed a match-winning five-wicket haul, bagging seven wickets for just 59 runs in 27.3 overs, including nine maiden overs.

The visitors were bundled at the score of just 174 runs in the second innings, and India won the game by an innings and 119 runs. Anil Kumble won the ‘Player of the Match’ for picking a total of ‘11 wickets for 128 runs’ in the entire match. Kumble also finished as the leading wicket-taker in the series, with 18 wickets in six innings.

6/64 vs England - Chennai Test, 1993​

After defeating England by eight wickets in the first Test in Kolkata, Mohammad Azharuddin’s India faced the visitors in Chennai in the second Test of the three-match series. The hosts’ skipper, Azharuddin, won the toss and decided to bat first. Navjot Sidhu's (106) and Sachin Tendulkar’s (165) centuries, followed by Pravin Amre's (78) and Kapil Dev’s (66) half-centuries, propelled India to the massive total of 560 runs for the loss of six wickets before they declared the end of their first innings.

In response to India’s 560-run total, England were bowled out at the score of just 286 runs, followed by India forcing them to follow on in the second innings. Following on, the English batters crumbled against Anil Kumble’s spin at Chennai’s challenging turf. Kumble ended up with the brilliant figures of ‘six wickets for just 64 runs in 21 overs, including seven maiden overs’.

Anil Kumble’s match-winning five-wicket haul restricted the visitors to the score of just 252 runs, with India winning the game by a significant margin of an innings and 22 runs to take an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the three-match series.

5/30 vs West Indies - Chennai Test, 2002

The Sourav Ganguly-led India were taking on the West Indies in the second Test of the three-match series. The then-West Indies skipper Carl Hooper opted to bat first after winning the toss. The Caribbean batters seemed to be helpless against the spin duo of the then-young spinner, Harbhajan Singh, and the veteran leggie, Anil Kumble.

Anil Kumble claimed a decisive five-wicket haul, bagging five wickets for just 30 runs in 23.3 overs, including 10 maiden overs. He was accompanied by Harbhajan Singh, who picked three wickets for 56 runs in 29 overs. On the back of the Harbhajan-Kumble duo, the hosts wrapped up the Caribbean side at the score of just 167 runs in the first innings.

Furthermore, India scored 316 runs and took a massive lead of 149 runs at the end of the first innings. Later in the second innings, the visitors scored only 229 runs, setting a target of just 81 for India. Eventually, India chased down the target comfortably, scoring 81 runs for the loss of just two wickets, and won the game by two wickets to seal the three-match series with an unassailable 2-0 lead.

4/63 and 5/67 vs Australia - Delhi Test, 1996

It was October 1996, when Mark Taylor-led Australia toured India for an Only Test, followed by the Titan Cup, including South Africa as the third Test. The Only Test between India and Australia was played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi from October 10 to 13. The Aussie skipper Mark Taylor won the toss and decided to bat first.

The visitors could score just 182 runs as they were trapped in Anil Kumble’s spin web, who picked four wickets for 63 runs in 24 overs, including seven maiden overs. The foundation of India’s response was laid by Nayan Mongia’s brilliant 152-run knock, followed by Sourav Ganguly’s 66 runs. The hosts scored 361 runs, taking a big lead of 179 runs.

Later in the second innings, Anil Kumble shone once again and claimed a match-winning five-wicket haul, scalping five wickets for just 67 runs in his 41 overs, including 12 maiden overs. Eventually, Australia could post just 234 runs in the second innings, setting a target of 56 for India. The hosts comfortably chased down the target, scoring 58 runs for the loss of three wickets and won the game by seven wickets.