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Gambhir hails India's 'greatest match-winner'

February 07, 2021 14:58 IST

Anil Kumble celebrates after taking the last Pakistan wicket on February 7, 1999, Day 4 of the second Test  in New Delhi.

IMAGE: Anil Kumble celebrates after taking the last Pakistan wicket on February 7, 1999, Day 4 of the second Test in New Delhi. Photograph: Kamal Kishore/Reuters

As the country celebrates the 22nd anniversary of Anil Kumble’s 10-wicket haul in a single Test innings, Gautam Gambhir labelled the spinner as the "greatest match-winner" India ever had.

 

In a video shared by the BCCI on Twitter, Gambhir replied: "The greatest match-winner India ever had! Take a bow, legend! @anilkumble1074."

On February 7, 1999, Anil Kumble became just the second bowler in the history of cricket to take all ten wickets in a Test innings.

He achieved the feat against Pakistan at the Ferozshah Kotla stadium, in Delhi, now known as Arun Jaitley cricket stadium, during the second Test of the two-match series.

India had set Pakistan a target of 420 runs in the match and the visitors got off to a steady start, as openers Shahid Afridi and Saeed Anwar put on 101 runs for the first wicket.

Kumble then came into the attack and wreaked havoc on the Pakistani batting line-up. The spinner, also known as 'Jumbo', first dismissed Afridi (41) in the 25th over.

After the right-handed batter's dismissal, India kept taking wickets through Kumble, and Pakistan was reduced to 128 for 6 in no time. He got his tenth scalp in the 61st over after dismissing Wasim Akram.

The effort enabled India register a 212 runs victory.

Kumble became the second bowler after England's Jim Laker to take all ten wickets in a single Test innings. He finished with figures of 10-74 from 26.3 overs.

A legend of the game, he announced his retirement from international cricket in 2008, finishing with 619 wickets in the longest format of the game.

He is the third-highest wicket-taker (619) in Tests, only behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Australia's Shane Warne (708).