Related Links

March 30,2007

Anil Kumble has formally announced his retirement from the shorter version of the game. The leggie's decision to quit ODIs comes as no surprise as he had already mentioned before that this year's World Cup was going to be his last One Day Tournament. He ends his ODI career at a tally of 337 wickets from 271 matches which makes him the seventh highest wicket taker in the World at present. However, he has stated that he will be available for Test Matches.

The 37-year-old ace leg spinner is India's most successful bowler in both the versions of the game at the International Level. Even today, India's success in Test Matches depends on this man's performance. Kumble's ODI career started in 1990 against Sri Lanka in the Austral-Asia Cup at Sharjah. His biggest One Day moment came in the Hero Cup Finals at the Eden Gardens in Calcutta when he returned with deadly figures of 6 for 12 against a formidable West Indies batting line up.

Anil Kumble was a real stalwart in the 90s, he was as important as Sachin Tendulkar was in the playing line up. Whenever the opposition batsmen were bludgeoning the new ball bowlers, Azharuddin or Tendulkar, the two captains in the 90s used to toss the ball to their trump card, Kumble to pull them out of trouble. Most occasions needed Kumble to bowl with a relatively new ball when the field restrictions were in place. He did give the crucial breakthroughs whenever he could. On thing was sure, that he was always up to whatever challenge that was thrown at him. His role in the limited version of the game slowly diminished with the emergence of a young Harbhajan Singh and also during the tenure of Sourav Ganguly. Whatever matches he got to play, Kumble put on an honest and a fully committed effort. If he wasn't included in the side, he used to take things in his stride and was always there to share his immense cricketing knowledge to the younger players or capturing snaps of his team mates' landmarks.

A disappointing show from the Indian team in the 2007 World Cup meant that Anil Kumble's last ODI was the one against the minnows of the minnows - Bermuda! He certainly would have hoped to play more matches in that tournament which of course did not happen. The leg spinner might also hang his boots from Test Cricket after reaching the 600-wicket feat. So India has a tough task ahead to get some one ready to fill the big boots. Among Indians, he is followed by Javagal Srinath (315 wickets from 229 ODIs). One man who is quite capable of getting close to Anil Kumble's feat happens to be Ajit Agarkar, who has taken 276 wickets from 183 matches.

Top of the Page