Former India captain Anil Kumble turned 50 on 17 October and the cricketing fraternity poured in with their wishes.
The ex-cricketer currently holds the posts of the head coach and director of cricket operations at IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab (KXIP).
KXIP wished their head coach with a tweet, writing, “Coach di half-century poori Jumbo wishes aan do aaj (The coach has completed his half-century, jumbo wishes for him today)”.
Coach di half-century poori ❤️
Jumbo wishes aan do aaj ⤵️#SaddaPunjab #HappyBirthdayJumbo @anilkumble1074 pic.twitter.com/gLu6rzsblD
— Kings XI Punjab (@lionsdenkxip) October 16, 2020
India and Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli wished him, writing, "Wish you a very happy birthday Anil Bhai @anilkumble1074. Have a great day."
Wish you a very happy birthday Anil Bhai @anilkumble1074. Have a great day.
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) October 17, 2020
Yuvraj Singh too shared a photo and wished Kumble.
"To someone who motivated me when I needed to hear it the most - Happy Birthday jumbo @anilkumble1074 your contribution towards Indian cricket and more so towards nurturing the youngsters has been priceless. Sending you all my love and good wishes on your half century," he wrote.
To someone who motivated me when I needed to hear it the most - Happy Birthday jumbo @anilkumble1074 your contribution towards Indian cricket and more so towards nurturing the youngsters has been priceless. Sending you all my love and good wishes on your half century ❤️ pic.twitter.com/EkLKky0OFZ
— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) October 17, 2020
"Officially I had 136 Intern'tnl wickets, but unofficially had one which was costliest,when I asked @anilkumble1074 bhai to not do tuktuk to offspinner & score his century quickly and he got out on 87. Sorry Anil Bhai, but congratulations on the half century today. Happy Birthday," wrote Virender Sehwag, while wishing Kumble on the special occasion.
Officially I had 136 Intern'tnl wickets, but unofficially had one which was costliest,when I asked @anilkumble1074 bhai to not do tuktuk to offspinner & score his century quickly and he got out on 87. Sorry Anil Bhai, but congratulations on the half century today. Happy Birthday pic.twitter.com/WB3Tie73HD
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) October 17, 2020
Former India cricketer and BJP leader Gautam Gambhir and Irfan Pathan both called Kumble the greatest match winner India has ever had while wishing him.
From 10 wickets in an innings to playing with head wrapped up in bandage, a very happy birthday to the greatest match winner India has ever had! @anilkumble1074 pic.twitter.com/eNOnEId54y
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) October 17, 2020
Wishing a happy birthday to the biggest match winner our country has ever produced @anilkumble1074 bhai #HappyBirthdayAnilkumble #respect pic.twitter.com/3JCSAj7yBE
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) October 17, 2020
Suresh Raina wrote, "Wishing a prosperous birthday to one of the greatest bowlers @anilkumble1074 . What a legend, for always leading the way in cricket. Have a great one!"
Wishing a prosperous birthday to one of the greatest bowlers @anilkumble1074 . What a legend, for always leading the way in cricket. Have a great one! pic.twitter.com/nRcWYNXzQC
— Suresh Raina (@ImRaina) October 17, 2020
BCCI too celebrated the occasion recalling that Kumble is the only Indian bowler to take 600 Test wickets and only the second bowler in Tests to take 10 wickets in an innings. They also shared a clip of his 10-wicket haul vs Pakistan on his special day.
Only Indian bowler to take 600 Test wickets
Only the second bowler in Tests to take 10 wickets in an inningsWishing former #TeamIndia skipper @anilkumble1074 a very happy birthday
Let's revisit his 10-wicket haul vs Pakistan to bring in his birthday.
Watch️
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 17, 2020
ICC celebrated Kumble's birthday with a tweet stating the legend's record that there only two players who have more than Kumble's 956 wicket haul across all formats and that only Muttiah Muralitharan has bowled more than his 55,346 balls.
Happy birthday to India's @anilkumble1074, the only player to have taken all 10 wickets in an innings and score a century in his career!
Only two players have more than his 956 wickets across formats, while only Muttiah Muralitharan has bowled more than his 55,346 balls pic.twitter.com/RKF7BcmeE7
— ICC (@ICC) October 17, 2020
The official Twitter account of IPL too wished him, writing, "Here's wishing the spin legend and current Director of Cricket Operations for @lionsdenkxip, @anilkumble1074 a very Happy Birthday."
Here's wishing the spin legend and current Director of Cricket Operations for @lionsdenkxip, @anilkumble1074 a very Happy Birthday #Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/sb8WNQs8yb
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) October 16, 2020
Here's how others wished him:
Many more happy returns of the day to a man who taught us to never give up no matter what. Wish you a wonderful birthday and a glorious year ahead @anilkumble1074 . pic.twitter.com/b3x4urFCgD
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) October 17, 2020
Happy birthday @anilkumble1074 sir. Wishing you good health and happiness. pic.twitter.com/L40eQ2YN7L
— Kuldeep yadav (@imkuldeep18) October 17, 2020
Happy birthday to Indian crickets biggest red ball match winner. From playing together to now coaching together it's been an honour and a pleasure @anilkumble1074 pic.twitter.com/7BZFxwaept
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) October 17, 2020
Happy birthday to an individual full of strength and grit, who never shied away from a challenge.
It's been an honour working with you and learning by your examples. May happiness never leave your side.@anilkumble1074 pic.twitter.com/KPgFzasoM0
— Mayank Agarwal (@mayankcricket) October 17, 2020
Many more happy returns of the day Anil bhai @anilkumble1074 . May you have a wonderful 50th and beyond.
— Ashwin (@ashwinravi99) October 17, 2020
Kumble, who wanted to bowl fast but became a leg-spinner, had an 18-year long international career. In total, he played 403 matches at the highest level including 132 Tests and 271 ODIs. Apart from 956 international wickets, Kumble also has a Test century to his name. He retired from international cricket in 2008 after the Delhi Test against Australia that was played in October.
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