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Home  » Cricket » 400 wicket ways of Kumble

400 wicket ways of Kumble

By Rajneesh Gupta
October 08, 2004 10:01 IST
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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.

Performance by opponent


Mode of dismissal


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


Kumble in each calendar year


Kumble in each calendar year


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 in each calendar year


Kumble in each calendar year


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.
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Rajneesh Gupta

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