Former Indian
captain and spin legend Anil Kumble celebrated his 50th birthday on Saturday with wishes
pouring in on social media from the cricketing fraternity and fans.
Nicknamed ‘Jumbo’,
Kumble is India’s leading wicket-taker with 619 in Tests and 334 in One Day Internationals.
He is currently overlooking Kings XI Punjab’s hunt for a maiden Indian Premier
League title in the United Arab Emirates as their head coach and director of
cricket operations.
One of his
most memorable moments in his illustrious career came in the 2002 tour to the
West Indies, when in Antigua, he was hit on the chin during batting and suffered
a broken jaw.
In an act
of defiance and sheer courage, Kumble bowled 14 overs in the following innings with
a bandage tied around his head and managed to dismiss Brian Lara.
Former Indian
batsman VVS Laxman recalled the incident in his birthday message for Kumble on
Twitter, saying, “Many more happy returns of the day to a man who taught us to
never give up no mater what.”
Yuvraj Singh also posted his birthday wish, saying Kumble’s “contribution towards Indian cricket and more so towards nurturing the youngsters has been priceless”.
Swashbuckling Indian opener Virender Sehwag recalled an unfortunate dismissal for Kumble, saying, “I asked @anilkumble1074 bhai to not do tuktuk to offspinner & score his century quickly and he got out on 87. Sorry Anil Bhai, but congratulations on the half century today.”
Indian captain Virat Kohli also took to Twitter to wish Kumble a happy birthday.
Here is a look at some more birthday messages for Kumble:
Kumble is only the second bowler in Test cricket history to pick all 10 wickets in a single innings. He dismissed all ten Pakistan batsmen during a Test in Delhi in 1999.
England’s Jim Laker is the only other man to have achieved that feat, having done so against Australia in 1956.
Kumble led India in 14 Test matches between 2007 and 2008. He was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in India, in 2005 and announced his retirement in 2008.
