17 years back, on this day, former India Test skipper Anil Kumble became the first India to pick 600 wickets in Tests. No other bowler, who played before or with him even came close to him. Meanwhile, 17 years back, India were playing Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The Asian side were 2-0 down and were coming off a controversial Sydney Test that went against them.
Talking about the match, the then Kumble-led side won the toss and elected to bat first. The team managed to get 330 runs at the end of their innings after batting for almost four sessions in the game. In reply, the home team had a poor start as they were struggling at 61/5. At this stage, the likes of Late Andrew Symonds and Adam Gilchrist put together 102 runs for the sixth wicket.
Legendary Anil Kumble’s 600th Test Wicket, A Record For The Ages
This partnership was broken by none other than Kumble, who entered the Test match with 599 wickets to his name. He picked the wicket of late Symonds and completed his 600 Test wicket. Kumble picked one more wicket in the first innings in the form of Shaun Tait. With a lead of 118 runs, India scored 294 in the second innings, asking the Aussies to chase 413 to win the game.
Kumble picked two wickets in the second innings as well and the team went on to register a famous win by 72 runs despite Australia’s resistance.
Also Read:- Most Wickets in a Test Match By a Bowler
Anil Kumble is India’s highest wicket taker in Tests
The Karnataka player is the highest wicket taker for India as he finished his career with 619 in 132 Tests he played between 1990 and 2008. Recently retired, Ravi Ashwin finished his career with 537 wickets in 106 Tests. At the world level, Kumble was the third highest taker till 2021 before James Anderson surpassed him. The former England pacer finished his career with 704 wickets and is the third highest wicket taker globally.
