Anil Kumble announces his retirement

NEW DELHI: Indian Test captain Anil Kumble has decided to quit from Test cricket after the ongoing match between India and Australia at Feroz Shah
Anil Kumble has decided to quit from Test cricket. (AFP Photo)

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Anil Kumble on Friday got stitches on the little finger of his left hand which he injured while fielding, but the veteran leg-spinner was back to his bowling ways on the fourth day of the third Test. Kumble sustained the injury when he dived in an attempt to catch Matthew Hayden off Amit Mishra.

More than 18 years of highly-competitive international cricket, 132 Tests, 271 One-day Internationals and hundreds of domestic matches - Kumble's body has weathered an incredible amount of load. It does look that the proud cricketer may not want to go too far now.

Former chairman of selection committee Dilip Vengsarkar on Saturday gave thumbs down to Test skipper Anil Kumble and said that he doesn't foresee the leg-spinner captaining the side after the ongoing series against Australia.

Vengsarkar said though Kumble has rendered a yeoman service to the Indian cricket team his poor form suggested he should quit.

India ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is likely to succeed Kumble as Test captain.

Jumbo effort

Anil Kumble is the leading wicket-taker for India in both Test and One-Day International matches. At present he is the third highest wicket-taker in Test cricket and one of only three bowlers to have taken more than 600 Test wickets.

Anil is one of only two bowlers in the history of cricket to have taken all 10 wickets in a Test innings, the other being Jim Laker of England. Kumble achieved the feat against Pakistan in February 1999.

He was appointed the captain of the Indian Test cricket team on 8 November 2007. On 6 October 2004, Kumble became only the third spinner in the history of Test cricket (after Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan) and the second Indian bowler (after Kapil Dev) to capture 400 Test wickets.

On 10 December 2004, Kumble became India's highest wicket taker when he trapped Mohammad Rafique of Bangladesh to surpass Kapil Dev's haul of 434 wickets. On 11 March 2006, he took his 500th Test wicket.

On June 11 2006, Kumble passed Courtney Walsh on 520 Test wickets to take 4th place. After returning to India from the 2007 Cricket World Cup, he announced his retirement from ODI Cricket on 30 March 2007.

On 17 January 2008, in the third Test against Australia at WACA, Perth, Anil Kumble became the first Indian bowler and the third in the world to reach the milestone of 600 Test wickets. Kumble achieved the record just after the tea break when he had Andrew Symonds caught by Rahul Dravid at first slip.