Kumble announces retirement
by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

Scorecard:India v Australia
Player:A Kumble
Event:Australia in India 2008/09
DateLine: 2nd November 2008

 

Anil Kumble has announced his retirement from International cricket after the Delhi test match. Dhoni will captain the Indian team in the Nagpur test.Kumble has taken 619 wickets in 132 matches with an average of 29.95. The leg spinner has taken 35 five wicket hauls and 8 ten wicket hauls. He has taken 337 wickets in 271 ODI matches. He informed his decision to the selectors after lunch.He will still play the IPL. He has captained India in 14 test matches won 3 lost 5 and drawn 6. Fitness problems and the finger injury led to this decision.

A legend has left the game. Nick named Jumbo because of his ability to make the ball take off like a Jumbo jet, Anil has taken close to 1000 international wickets. He is the third highest wicket taker in the world behind Warne and Murali. He is the only bowler apart from Jim Laker to take the perfect ten in Kotla. His best being 10 for 74 against Pakistan at Kotla. He also scored a hundred against England at Oval last year. His resilience, determination can be remembered when he bowled with a broken jaw against West Indies at Antigua and got the wicket of Lara. Again he did it once again yesterday having 11 stitches in his left hand and took the catch of Johnson. He is the bowler to have taken the maximum wickets against Australia. 111 in 20 test matches.

It is the end of an era. With Kumble leaving and Saurav to leave after the next match it is the end of an era. When Kapil Dev took 434 wickets everybody thought that record will stay for ever. For Anil to almost get 200 wickets more than Kapil Dev is a tribute to his fitness, his determination, his never say die attitude. For him to play after the rotator cuff injury where he lost almost an year due to an injury on his right shoulder showed that he never gave up.He came back with brilliant performances against Australia and Pakistan in the 2003-04 season when people had almost written him off. His partner in crime Harbhajan will definetely miss him.

His achievements are unparalled. He has won the maximum test matches for India. He has taken 250 odd wickets in 43 test wins that he has been a part of. He would always be remembered for giving hundred percent for India. His real test came when he captained India in the controversial Sydney test match.The way he handled the whole crisis and led the team to a win in the next test match at Perth where he got his 600th test wicket showed the character of the man

To make his test debut against England in 1990, under the captaincy of Azharuddin and to play for India for 18 years along with the other legends of the game is no mean achievement.His colleagues who lifted him during his last lap around the Kotla was just the respect they had for this mild mannered gentleman. Sachin, Rahul, Laxman, Saurav and the youngsters will miss him. He played with them for more than a decade and changed the face of Indian cricket. He is one of the giants of World cricket. The game will definitely be more poorer without him.