INDIA: 26.3 overs, 9 maidens, 74 runs, and 10 wickets—a figure that neither Anil Kumble nor the Indian team will soon forget. On this day, February 7, 1999, Anil Kumble took 10 wickets in a single inning against Pakistan and became the first Indian and second cricketer in the world to do so.
Anil Kumble’s historic game of 10 wickets
Only three people up until now have achieved this feat: Anil Kumble of India, Jim Laker of England, and Ajaz Patel of New Zealand. Jim Laker is the first person among them to take 10 wickets.
India lost the opening test of the two-match series by a thin margin of 12 runs in Chennai. The Indian cricket squad was under heavy scrutiny at that moment and was in a must-win circumstance.
In the crucial Delhi Test, Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin elected to bat after winning the toss. Wasim Akram’s superb performance, which produced figures of 4/23, allowed India to reach only 252 before being bowled out.
Soon, hopes were ruined for Pakistan by Kumble (4/75) and Harbhajan Singh (3/30), which prevented them from responding much. Shahid Afridi scored 32 runs, which was the highest number of runs among the visitors, who totaled 172 runs.
India then scored 339 runs to take a confident lead, with Sourav Ganguly contributing a useful 62* runs and Sadagopan Ramesh scoring 96. Despite Saqlain Mushtaq’s fifer, India set a 420-run target.
The visitors got off to a strong start thanks to openers Shahid Afridi and Saeed Anwar, who put on 101 runs for the first wicket. But soon, Pakistan was bundled out for 207 as Kumble bowled a historic 10-for-74 in 26.3 overs to help India upset Pakistan by 212 runs.
His performance in the second innings of the second Test against the Pakistan lineup was breathtaking, and it cemented his place in history.
Also Read: No Comparison between Kohli and Babar, Says Misbah-ul-Haq
