A combined all-time Test XI from India and England

#9 Anil Kumble

Majority of India’s memorable victories from the 90s to mid 2000s had Kumble’s stamp

By his own admission, not many envisaged the impression that Anil Kumble would go on to have on his country’s fortunes when he started out. Unlike the classical leg-spinner, he did not beat batsmen by flight nor lured them out of their comfort zones. Instead, the whole-hearted cricketer pinned them down by making the ball swoop in from a dangerous length.

Modeling his game on the iconic Bhagwath Chandrasekhar, Kumble varied his pace cannily and kept probing relentlessly to play a starring role in the vast majority of India’s enduring victories during his career.