Anil Kumble is currently leading the list of Most Wickets taken by an Indian bowler in all formats (953) as well as in Tests (619). He retired in the year 2008, and since then, no other player has managed to come close to the record of Anil Kumble except R Ashwin, who took 537 wickets in Tests.
He was amongst the most successful bowlers in the world, but there was one match where Anil Kumble almost conceded 220+ runs in an innings. So, here we have all the details regarding his spell & make sure you stay in touch with this article to know the whole story.
Anil Kumble took a total of 35 five-wicket hauls and is also the fourth-highest wicket-taker of all time in all three formats. During his professional career, Kumble dominated the opposition and helped the Indian team win many crucial matches.
Match Overview: India vs Sri Lanka, 1997
Indian Cricket team was scheduled to face Sri Lanka at their home ground on 2nd August 1997. In that match, the Indian team managed to build a strong score of 537 for 8 wickets, with Navjot Sidhu, Mohammad Azharuddin, and Sachin Tendulkar’s hundred.
In the first innings of Sri Lanka’s batting, they made history by registering the highest total of 952/6 in Test format. Sanath Jayasuriya’s 340 runs knock and Roshan Mahanama’s 225 runs knock played a key role in scoring the highest total. The match ended in a draw because Sri Lanka played till 271 overs and India did not get a chance to bat. Sanath Jayasuriya was honored with the Player of the match for his historic spell.
Kumble’s Bowling Spell- 223 runs conceded:
Anil Kumble conceded a total of 223 runs in that match, which was his most expensive spell of his Test Career. Along with Rajesh Chauhan, who conceded 276 runs in an innings, Sri Lanka’s score reached 952 for 6 wickets.
Indian bowlers were struggling to get the wicket of Sri Lanka’s batsmen, and Jayasuriya & Roshan made a huge partnership. Anil Kumble bowled seven maiden overs and took one wicket, but it was still not enough to stop Sri Lanka on that day.
Sri Lanka’s Historic Batting Performance:
The 220+ runs expensive spell of Anil Kumble was the result of Sri Lanka’s massive score of 952 runs, which is the highest test total by a team in Test cricket. There are only two teams to cross the mark of 900 runs in an innings in a test, England and Sri Lanka.
Also Read: Top 10 Most Test Runs by Indian Players at Lord’s – Guess Who’s No.1?
Why did Kumble Bowl So Much?
Sri Lanka’s opener was in great form and other batmsan was not also in leetting Indian bowlers to took wicket. So, Anil Kumble was India’s key bowler and took lots of wickets in previous matches, so captain try to use him which led Kumble to bowl 72 overs.
But Anil Kumble’s economy during that match was one of the lowest, which was 3.10, even after conceding 223 runs. Because Kumble bowled 72 overs, which was the second most overs, he managed to bowl seven maiden overs.