Anil Kumble turns 47: Coach and captain whose 10/10 display remains etched in the memory

Moneycontrol News

Former Indian captain and cricket legend Anil Kumble turned 47 on Tuesday.

Kumble, who is India's fourth induction into the International Cricket Council (ICC)'s Hall of Fame, had earlier this year resigned as the Coach of the Indian Cricket Team.

The 47-year-old had resigned after he found his partnership with Captain Virat Kohli to be "untenable". He also said that Kohli "had reservations with my (Kumble's) style", despite attempts to resolve the misunderstandings.

The rumours and speculations around the tussle between the two had lasted for over a month.

The news of his departure, even though it was expected, left many fans disappointed as Kumble had managed some impressive feats during his year-long tenure.

As fast as a 'Jumbo' jet

A mechanical engineer by profession, Kumble was born in Bangalore, where he started playing cricket on the streets. He joined the Young Cricketers Club at the age of 13 and was nicknamed "Jumbo" by his teammates. The name 'jumbo' was not only because they felt his deliveries were as fast as a jumbo jet, but also because his feet were quite big, his teammates thought.

Kumble made his first-class debut for his home state Karnataka in November 1989. He took four wickets on debut.

The leg-spinner was then selected for India's Under-19 team and went on to make his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in the 1990 Austral-Asia Cup. His Test debut came later that year when India toured England.

Limelight found Kumble during the second Test against South Africa in 1992, when he picked up eight wickets. He cemented his place in the team by claiming 21 wickets in three Tests, later that year.

On February 7, 1999 Kumble accomplished a feat that no Indian had ever come close to — he took 10 wickets in a single inning to help India beat arch-rivals Pakistan at Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla stadium, becoming only the second cricketer ever to do so.

Kumble has 619 Test wickets to his name, making him the third highest wicket taker in the format's history and India's highest wicket taker in Test matches by a fair margin.

The legendary leg spinner, known for his accuracy, variations and pace, rather than the turn and flight usually associated with leg-spinners, took another 337 wickets in the 271 ODIs he played. The Karnataka player also has 1,136 first-class wickets under his belt.

On August 10, 2007, shortly before hanging up his boots, Kumble managed to get his hands on a very elusive personal milestone — a Test century. The special moment came against England at the Oval in London, a venue that has seen many a special moment in the game's history.

Leading the way

Kumble's tenure as captain of the Indian team was a short, bittersweet one. The leg-spinner was appointed as India's Test captain in November 2007 and tasted success almost immediately when India defeated Pakistan 1-0 at home.

Then came the tour of Australia in 2007-08, which later became infamous for some really questionable umpiring decisions. India had threatened to withdraw from the tour following a number of 'bad' umpiring calls and allegations of racism against Harbhajan Singh during the second Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

The umpire in question was Steve Bucknor, who many believe cost India the series. India lost the match in Sydney, a match that could have ended differently if not for those umpiring calls, and lost the series 2-1 as a result.

In all, India played five Test series, comprising 14 matches, under Kumble's leadership. India won three, lost five and drew six in those 14 outings.

Even though that may not seem like a dream record, many still believe that Kumble was one of the best Test captains India ever had and could have given more to the team in that capacity had he been at the top for longer.

He retired from international and first-class cricket after an injury but continued playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He later mentored RCB and the Mumbai Indians.

Following his retirement from international cricket, Kumble served as the President of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and was appointed as the Chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee in 2012. This was followed by an year-long stint as India's Head Coach.