Anil Kumble

Anil Kumble (born 17 October 1970) is an Indian former cricket captain, coach and commentator who played Test and One Day International cricket for his national team over an international career of 18 years.

Widely regarded as one of the best leg spin bowlers in Test Cricket History, he took 619 wickets in Test cricket and is the fourth highest wicket taker of all time as of 2022.

Kumble made his first-class debut for Karnataka against Hyderabad on 30 November 1989, taking 4 wickets and bagging a pair.

He was then selected for India Under-19s against Pakistan Under-19s, scoring 113 in the first test and 76 in the second.

Soon he was picked up for the Austral-Asia Cup in 1990 before making his Test debut against England later that year.

Since then he has represented the Indian Test team on more than 132 Test matches and was responsible for many of India's victories.

Kumble became a part of the regular ODI team during the early 1990s and held some of the best performances during this time; which included his six for 12 (six wickets for 12 runs) against the West Indies.

He made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka at Sharjah in the Austral-Asia Cup on 25 April 1990.

He played one more game in the series against Pakistan and ended up picking two wickets.

His Test debut came in the same year when India toured England for a three-test series.

It was the second test of the series played at Manchester and he picked up 3 wickets conceding 105 runs in the first innings and went wicket-less in the second innings of the match which resulted in a draw.

Kumble later graduated from Rashtreeya Vidyalaya College of Engineering (RVCE) in B.E Mechanical Engineering in 1991–92.

He is nicknamed "Jumbo" because his deliveries, for a spinner, are "as fast as a jumbo jet".

Kumble is a vegetarian.

He did not play any Tests until 1992.

Kumble picked up 13/138 in Irani Trophy against Delhi for Rest of India which ensured the latter's victory.

This performance helped him earn a place in the Indian side that toured South Africa and Zimbabwe.

It was during the 1992 Indian tour of South Africa that he established himself as a quality spinner, taking eight wickets in the second Test.

Kumble was selected as the Cricketer of the Year in 1993 Indian Cricket, and one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year three years later.

The year 1996 proved to very successful for him as he was selected for the World Cup and emerged as the most successful bowler of the tournament; he played seven matches and captured 15 wickets at an average of 18.73.

In 1999 while playing against Pakistan, Kumble dismissed all ten batsmen in a Test match innings, joining England's Jim Laker as the second player to achieve the feat.

Unlike his contemporaries, Kumble was not a big turner of the ball, but relied primarily on pace, bounce, and accuracy.

He was nicknamed "Apple" and "Jumbo".

Kumble was a member of the Indian team that was one of the joint-winners of the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy, which the title was also shared with Sri Lanka.

Born in Bangalore, Mysore State (now Karnataka), Kumble developed an early interest in cricket as he grew up watching players like B. S. Chandrasekhar before becoming a full-fledged cricketer.

He made his First-class debut at the age of 19 while representing Karnataka.

Kumble was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour in 2005.

After having played for 18 years, he announced his retirement from international cricket in November 2008.

In October 2012, Kumble was appointed the chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC)'s cricket committee.

Between 2012 and 2015, Kumble held positions as a chief mentor for the teams Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.

He was also a former head coach of the Indian cricket team as well.

In February 2015, he became the fourth Indian cricketer to be inducted into ICC Hall of Fame.

Kumble is currently the head coach and the director of cricket operations of Punjab Kings.

Kumble was born to family in Bangalore, Mysore State (now Karnataka), to Krishna Swamy and Saroja who both hail from Kumbla near Kasaragod, Kerala.

Kumble has a brother named Dinesh Kumble.

He is married to Chetana Kumble, and has three children – son Mayas Kumble and daughters Aaruni and Svasti Kumble.

His mother tongue is Kannada.

Kumble did his primary schooling in Holy Saint English School and he completed his Class X from National High School Basavanagudi.

He began playing cricket on the streets of Bangalore and joined a club called "Young Cricketers" at the age of 13.

After his high school he completed his Class XII from National Pre-University College Basavanagudi.