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Who is Anil Kumble?

Kumble was nicknamed ‘Jumbo’ by his teammates not just for his tough bowling but also for his large shoe size.

imageFormer India captain Anil Kumble has been appointed the head coach of the national cricket team by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday (June 23).

The 45-year-old was picked upa tenure of one year for by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly, over nine other high-profile candidates including former Team Director Ravi Shastri, Australian ex-cricketers Tom Moody and Stuart Law.

Kumble’s first assignment as India coach will be the four Tests that his boys will play in West Indies.

Here are 10 facts about Kumble that you might want to know:

1. Kumble is one of the only three bowlers with 600 Test wickets.

The first being former Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan (800), followed by Australian former international cricketer Shane Warne (708) and Kumble with 619 wickets in 132 games.

2. When it comes to bowling, Kumble features as the second best ever in Test cricket.

He took all 10 wickets of Pakistan in 1999 (10/74). English cricketer Jim Laker remains the best bowling figure at 10/53.

3. He is a mechanical engineer. He completed his Bachelor of Engineering (B.E) from Rashtreeya Vidyalaya College of Engineering (RVCE) in 1991-92.

4. Kumble was nicknamed ‘Jumbo’ by his teammates not just for his tough bowling but also for his large shoe size.

5. He took 15 wickets at an average of 18.73 at the 1996 Cricket World Cup, taking him team to the semi-finals where India lost to eventual champion Sri Lanka.

6. Kumble is ranked at Number 1 in the top Indian wicket-takers’ list in One Day Internationals (ODIs) with 337 wickets in 271 games.

7. He holds the world record in most caught-and-bowled dismissals in Tests and ODIs with 25 hauls.

8. Kumble was appointed India captain on November 8 , 2007 after Rahul Dravid resigned from the post in September the same year.

9. He retired from cricket on January 4, 2012 following a finger injury during a Test match.

10. Kumble was presented with the prestigious Arjuna Award in 1995.

He received the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1996. The Government of India conferred him the Padma Shri in 2005.

(Sources: Sportzwiki, Indiatimes, ESPN Cricinfo and News Nation)

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