A glorious day was in making in the history of cricket on the morning of February 7, 1999. Anil Kumble, apparently the last legendary leg spinner in Indian cricket made it to the history books. It was at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, New Delhi that witnessed the spectacle which was created by only one player before, Jim Laker in the year 1956!
Born in Bangalore, Karnataka, Kumble had developed a keen interest in the sport very early in his young years. At the age of 19, he was selected to play for the national team after representing Karnataka. Experts and cricket fans term him as an extremely unconventional, unorthodox bowler. He was known for owning and developing a peculiar style of bowling. A right-arm leg spinner, he was famous for his deceptive flippers!
Three years into his career (1992-93) as an international cricket player, he snatched a whopping 18 wickets across four matches in a Test Series against South Africa. This incident proved that Kumble had now grown his roots deep beneath the ground and established himself as a trailblazing spinner!
February 7, 1999… Ferozshah Kotla, New Delhi.
It seemed like each aspect of that day has been aligned in accordance with Kumble’s style of bowling. He showcased unmatchable talent and took down ten wickets in an innings against Pakistan, something which was done only once before!
It was this incident when Navjot Singh Sidhu nicknamed him “Jumbo Jet” because of the extra bounce the ball had on that pitch. With the passing years, only Jumbo travelled through, however, the love and admiration remained intact!
The following scorecard gives us a glimpse of how the wickets fell prey of the domino effect Kumble created that day:
| BATSMAN | RUNS | OVERS |
| Shahid Afridi | 101-1 | 24.2 |
| Ijaz Ahmed | 101-2 | 24.3 |
| Inzamam-ul-Haq | 115-3 | 28.3 |
| Mohammad Yousuf | 115-4 | 28.5 |
| Moin Khan | 127-5 | 36.1 |
| Saeed Anwar | 128-6 | 38.3 |
| Saleem Malik | 186-7 | 54.1 |
| Mushtaq Ahmed | 198-8 | 58.5 |
| Saqlain Mushtaq | 198-9 | 58.6 |
| Wasim Akram | 207-10 | 60.3 |
And that’s how the figures 10/74 became immortal & engraved in every cricket lover’s memory!
With achievements like these, Kumble became the beloved Jumbo. It was all because of his incomparable accomplishments and gentlemanly behaviour on the cricket ground. Later, he was chosen to be the test team captain in 2007 when ‘The Wall’, Rahul Dravid had put his resignation. Kumble’s career is truly a legacy, heartily cherished by the country and cricket fans across the globe!
