Greatest Indian Test XI of the 21st century in Australia

#8 Anil Kumble

Indian cricket has been blessed with some great spin bowlers. But, after the 80s when the legendary spin trio of Bedi, Prasanna and Chandrashekar retired, Indian cricket was in search of another man who could bowl 50 overs in an innings from one end and try to help the team win. But boy, did they find one in 1990!

Anil Kumble, like all great players that have emerged from the state of Karnataka, played the game of cricket just the way it should be. Kumble was never a big turner of the ball, but his variations, line and length did the job for him. And he ended up with 619 test wickets, third highest ever in test history.

Kumble was the man to whom captains turned to when the team needed wickets. He didn't disappoint his captains. He picked up 49 wickets on Aussie soil which included four 5- wicket hauls which included a brilliant 8-for at SCG. He also was a handy batsman down the order.