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‘Bharat ka sher’ -Fans react as Anil Kumble recounts telephone call with his wife after he was hit on the jaw in West Indies in 2003-04

Anil Kumble picked up 619 wickets in Tests for India.

Jul 12, 2023 5:55 pm

Anil Kumble was a match when he wielded the ball for India in Test cricket. The man with a big heart had a beautiful career where he picked up 619 wickets in 132 games at a strike rate of 65.9 and at a miserly economy rate of 2.69. Kumble picked up 35 five-wicket hauls and also had a ten-wicket haul against Pakistan. Another lesser-known fact about Kumble is that he scored a hundred against England in England.

Recently, while talking to Jio Cinema, Kumble recollected a tough but noteworthy incident when he bowled with a broken jaw. Kumble’s jaw was heavily taped and wired but it did not stop the Karnataka great from bowling 14 overs and picking up the prized scalp of Brian Lara. “I told my wife, Chetna and I called her up. When we spoke, I said, look I know I have to come home because I just need surgery. So, she arranged for all of that in Bangalore. “…And as I dropped off the call, I just told her that look I’ll go and bowl, but she thought probably I was just joking,” he said.

Brian Lara and Arvinda de Silva were the toughest batters I faced- Anil Kumble

“I told Andrew Leipus – get me out there.” Kumble was due to fly back to Bangalore the following day for surgery, and he said at that time, “At least I can now go home with the thought that I tried my best.” Kumble copped a nasty blow of a short ball by Mervyn Dillon. Blood gushed out from where Kumble was hit but he braved the pain and batted on until 20 minutes in the Test match.

When Kumble was asked who were the toughest batters he faced, “Aravinda de Silva was a tough one and Brian Lara – he probably had three shots to every ball and he would change. You would think that you’ve got him.” On Lara, the only man to score 400 in Test cricket, he continued, “You’d feel that you’ve deceived it and then suddenly you play a shot, which you can’t imagine and when you know that he’s come forward, you have beaten him, and then he would just use the pace and then late cut for four and that was his quality.” Kumble said.

“I think in every series, you sort of encounter a couple of tough guys who sort of are difficult. Jacques Kallis was someone who never, ever gave away his wicket. Inzi (Inzamam-Ul-Haq) was really tough. he added. He included Matthew Hayden’s name on the list as well. The big burly Australian has put the Indian spinners under pressure a lot of times.

Let us take a look at the reactions on Twitter:

Legend 🙌

— itz Sumitz (@itzsumitsaxena) July 12, 2023

Anil Kumble have Overseas Century but Dhoni 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

— Aarav (@sigma__male_) July 12, 2023

Sir 🛐

— Vinamra Mahajan (@mahajan_vinamra) July 12, 2023

https://twitter.com/ACID_CHEL/status/1679055295476297730?s=20

In my childhood there were 2 incident which gives me goosebumps till date. One was greme smith batting against Australia with one hand and 2nd was Anil kumble bowling with broken jaw.
Recently Rohit against ban was the one which will be remembered for years 😍

— STARK (@starkt3000) July 12, 2023

https://twitter.com/Agastya_45/status/1679049263484137472?s=20

True lion of india, unimaginable pressure on a broken jaw every time you bowl but still he gave everything he had for india,what a match winner !!

— Noone (@UdtaS) July 12, 2023