On this day, February 7, in the year 1999, veteran Indian cricketer Anil Kumble created history by bagging all the 10 wickets in one innings of a Test match against Pakistan. The match was played at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi and was the second and last Test match of Pakistan tour of India in 1999.
Anil Kumble’s world class bowling also bagged victory for India by 212 runs. Kumble’s spectacular stint came in the second innings as he rose to greater limelight with Indian victory. After dismissing all the batsmen of Pakistani side, Kumble became the only second player after England’s Jim Laker to bag 10 wickets in a single innings of a Test match. Laker had achieved the feat in 1956, during a Test match against Australia.
In the match, India opted to bat first after winning the toss. Opener Sadagoppan Ramesh (60) and captain Mohd. Azharuddin (67) emerged as highest scorers for India side, taking the team’s total to 252 in the first innings. In response, Pakistan could only score 172 runs owing to great bowling by Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble, who took 3 and 4 wickets respectively.
In the second innings, India scored 339 with the help of Ramesh’s 96, setting a target of 420 runs for Pakistan. Kumble was the highest wicket taker in the first innings with 4 wickets, and he again emerged as star bowler of the match by crushing all the batsmen of Pakistani side by himself in the second innings. Pakistan was all out at 207 runs. Kumble bowled 26.3 overs with 9 maidens and gave away 74 runs with an economy of 2.79. India won the match by 212 runs and Kumble was given player of the match award for his unforgettable bowling spell.