400 wicket ways of Kumble

Anil Kumble became the second Indian and only the ninth bowler in Test history to take 400 wickets when he dismissed Australian left-hander Simon Katich on the opening day of the Bangalore Test.

Kumble, who made his debut against England in 1990, took his 100th wicket in his 21st Test, 200th in the 47th, 300th in the 66th and now the 400th in his 85th Test.

We present a detailed look at the master leg-spinner's career stats.

Click for the complete list

Kumble's bunnies

Aravinda de Silva (Sri Lanka)	7 times
Roshan Mahanama (Sri Lanka)	7 times
Andrew Hudson (South Africa)	7 times
Hansie Cronje (South Africa)	7 times
Ricky Ponting (Australia)	6 times
Adam Parore (New Zealand)	5 times
Matt Horne (New Zealand)	5 times
Hashan Tillekeratne (Sri Lanka)	5 times
Carl Hooper (West Indies)	5 times
Jonty Rhodes (South Africa)	5 times

Click for the complete list (1990-2004)

Click for the complete list

Kumble in each series

Opponent	Season	Tests	Balls	Runs	Wkts	Ave	Best	5WI	10WM	SR	ER
England*	1990	1	360	170	3	56.67	3-105	-	-	120.00	47.22
Zimbabwe*	1992-93	1	266	94	3	31.33	3-79	-	-	88.67	35.34
South Africa*	1992-93	4	1527	467	18	25.94	6-53	1	-	84.83	30.58
England	1992-93	3	1086	416	21	19.81	6-64	1	-	51.71	38.31
Zimbabwe	1992-93	1	491	160	8	20.00	5-70	1	-	61.38	32.59
Sri Lanka*	1993-94	3	843	375	13	28.85	5-87	1	-	64.85	44.48
Sri Lanka	1993-94	3	819	317	18	17.61	7-59	1	1	45.50	38.71
New Zealand*	1993-94	1	300	102	2	51.00	1-34	-	-	150.00	34.00
West Indies	1994-95	3	875	409	13	31.46	4-90	-	-	67.31	46.74
New Zealand	1995-96	3	434	152	10	15.20	5-81	1	-	43.40	35.02
England*	1996	3	882	334	5	66.80	3-90	-	-	176.40	37.87
Australia	1996-97	1	390	130	9	14.44	5-67	1	-	43.33	33.33
South Africa	1996-97	3	877	387	13	29.77	4-71	-	-	67.46	44.13
South Africa*	1996-97	3	932	384	8	48.00	3-40	-	-	116.50	41.20
West Indies*	1996-97	5	1204	576	19	30.32	5-104	2	-	63.37	47.84
Sri Lanka*	1997-98	2	814	430	5	86.00	3-156	-	-	162.80	52.83
Sri Lanka	1997-98	3	732	279	6	46.50	3-56	-	-	122.00	38.11
Australia	1997-98	3	1146	416	23	18.09	6-98	2	-	49.83	36.30
Zimbabwe*	1998-99	1	322	129	7	18.43	4-87	-	-	46.00	40.06
New Zealand*	1998-99	2	849	341	9	37.89	4-83	-	-	94.33	40.16
Pakistan	1998-99	3	865	451	22	20.50	10-74	2	1	39.32	52.14
Sri Lanka*	1998-99	1	325	134	4	33.50	4-134	-	-	81.25	41.23
New Zealand	1999-00	3	1186	364	20	18.20	6-67	2	1	59.30	30.69
Australia*	1999-00	3	878	450	5	90.00	2-72	-	-	175.60	51.25
South Africa	1999-00	2	712	261	12	21.75	6-143	1	-	59.33	36.66
South Africa*	2001-02	2	552	244	5	48.80	3-132	-	-	110.40	44.20
England	2001-02	3	997	440	19	23.16	7-115	2	1	52.47	44.13
Zimbabwe	2001-02	2	806	291	16	18.19	5-63	1	-	50.38	36.10
West Indies*	2001-02	2	355	174	3	58.00	2-145	-	-	118.33	49.01
England*	2002	3	1045	504	14	36.00	4-66	-	-	74.64	48.23
West Indies	2002-03	3	920	387	16	24.19	5-30	1	-	57.50	42.07
New Zealand	2003-04	2	841	334	9	37.11	4-95	-	-	93.44	39.71
Australia*	2003-04	3	1237	710	24	29.58	8-141	3	1	51.54	57.40
Pakistan*	2003-04	3	783	389	15	25.93	6-72	1	-	52.20	49.68
Australia	2004-05	1	144	86	3	28.66	3-82	-	-	48.00	59.72
TOTAL		85	26795	11287	400	28.22	10-74	24	5	66.99	42.12

* series venue

Kumble's wickets -batting position wise

Openers	#3	#4	#5	#6	#7	#8	#9	#10	#11
70	48	43	34	41	36	39	39	31	19

Out of 400 wickets taken by Kumble 59.44 % were of top-six batsmen

Kumble's wickets - Right handed vis-a-vis Left handed

RHB	LHB
301	99
75.25%	24.75%

Kumble's performance result-wise

	Tests	Balls	Runs	Wkts	Best	5WI	10WM	Ave	SR	ER
in matches won by India	26	8578	3404	189	10-74	14	3	18.01	45.39	39.68
in matches lost by India	21	6465	3070	79	6-70	4	0	38.86	81.84	47.49
in drawn matches	37	11608	4727	129	8-141	6	2	36.64	89.98	40.72
TOTAL	84	26651	11201	397	10-74	24	5	28.21	67.13	42.03

Kumble under different captains

Captain	Tests	Balls	Runs	Wkts	Ave	Best	5WI	10WM	SR	ER
Mohammad Azharuddin	36	11390	4467	179	24.96	10-74	10	2	63.63	39.22
Sachin Tendulkar	25	7725	3261	97	33.62	6-67	6	1	79.64	42.21
Sourav Ganguly	21	6602	3060	111	27.56	8-141	7	2	59.47	46.35
Rahul Dravid	3	1078	499	13	38.38	6-72	1	0	82.92	46.29
TOTAL	85	26795	11287	400	28.22	10-74	24	5	66.99	42.12

A comparative study of 400-wicket takers

Bowler	For	Test #	Yrs	Days	Reached on
M Muralitharan	SL	72	29	273	15 Jan 2002
Richard Hadlee	NZ	80	38	217	05 Feb 1990
Anil Kumble	Ind	85	33	355	06 Oct 2004
Glenn McGrath	Aus	87	32	255	22 Oct 2002
Shane Warne	Aus	92	31	348	27 Aug 2001
Wasim Akram	Pak	96	34	14	17 Jun 2000
Curtly Ambrose	WI	97	36	332	18 Aug 2000
Courtney Walsh	WI	107	36	129	08 Mar 1999
Kapil Dev	Ind	115	33	30	05 Feb 1992

Highlights of Kumble's Career

Only bowler after Englishman Jim Laker to take all 10
wickets in an innings.
Has taken five wickets in an innings against eight different countries (he is yet to play a Test against Bangladesh). Only Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan has taken a five-for against all other Test-playing nations.
Shares the world record for most caught and bowled dismissals with Murali.
Aggregate of 238 wickets at home is the highest by any bowler other than Murali, who has 342.
His 24 five-wicket innings hauls and five ten-wicket match hauls are the most by an Indian bowler.
His 189 wickets are the most by an Indian bowler in Tests 'won' by India. No one else has taken even 100!
24.75 per cent of his victims were left-handed batsmen, the second highest percentage for a spinner with at least 200 career wickets after Pakistan's Saqlain Mushtaq.
Took at least five wickets in a match in eight consecutive matches from 1992-93 to 1993-94 -- the most for India.
Took his 100th, 300th, and 400th wickets on his home ground.
Took at least a wicket in each of his first 68 Tests, apart from three in which he did not bowl.
Quickest Indian to take 50, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350 and 400 Test wickets. Missed 100 Test mark by just one Test to Erapally Prasanna, who also bagged his 150th wicket in his 34th Test, like Kumble.

Note: All figures are correct up to the end of Day 1 of the Bangalore Test.