First Test, India v Australia: Humble Kumble Determined to Catch Kapil Dev
When he bowled Simon Katich, Anil Kumble became the ninth player, the third spinner and the second Indian to reach 400 Test wickets.
Australia had the day but India's Anil Kumble won the moment. The large crowd gave the tall leg-spinner a standing ovation when he bowled Simon Katich to become the ninth player, the third spinner and the second Indian to reach 400 Test wickets.
"When I got to 399 I suddenly became aware of getting 400," Kumble said. "But after a couple more overs I stopped worrying and got on with the match. My immediate target is to get another 35 [to move ahead of his fellow Indian Kapil Dev]. It's a great feeling, a great honour, and it left me with a feeling of deep satisfaction. I had a bit of flu at the start of the day but it seemed to go away."
Kumble, on 397 at the start of the day, has his 34th birthday this month but he looks younger than the bespectacled demon who bowled Northamptonshire to within a whisker of their first championship in 1995. Then, as a non-drinker, he was also used by his captain Allan Lamb as an unpaid chauffeur.
"It was a very good day's cricket," he added. "The pitch is very slow. We were going very well when we took their fourth wicket. But Katich and Clarke played well - Clarke very well. We have faced him before in one-day cricket so we knew what he could do.
"They got too many runs towards the end but if we can get them out for another 70 we will have done well."
The 400 club
532 Muttiah Muralitharan (SL) 22.86
527 Shane Warne (Aus) 25.47
519 Courtney Walsh (WI) 24.44
440 Glenn McGrath (Aus) 21.61
434 Kapil Dev (India) 29.64
431Richard Hadlee (NZ) 22.29
414 Wasim Akram (Pak) 23.62
405 Curtly Ambrose (WI) 20.99
400 Anil Kumble (India) 28.21
"When I got to 399 I suddenly became aware of getting 400," Kumble said. "But after a couple more overs I stopped worrying and got on with the match. My immediate target is to get another 35 [to move ahead of his fellow Indian Kapil Dev]. It's a great feeling, a great honour, and it left me with a feeling of deep satisfaction. I had a bit of flu at the start of the day but it seemed to go away."
Kumble, on 397 at the start of the day, has his 34th birthday this month but he looks younger than the bespectacled demon who bowled Northamptonshire to within a whisker of their first championship in 1995. Then, as a non-drinker, he was also used by his captain Allan Lamb as an unpaid chauffeur.
"It was a very good day's cricket," he added. "The pitch is very slow. We were going very well when we took their fourth wicket. But Katich and Clarke played well - Clarke very well. We have faced him before in one-day cricket so we knew what he could do.
"They got too many runs towards the end but if we can get them out for another 70 we will have done well."
The 400 club
532 Muttiah Muralitharan (SL) 22.86
527 Shane Warne (Aus) 25.47
519 Courtney Walsh (WI) 24.44
440 Glenn McGrath (Aus) 21.61
434 Kapil Dev (India) 29.64
431Richard Hadlee (NZ) 22.29
414 Wasim Akram (Pak) 23.62
405 Curtly Ambrose (WI) 20.99
400 Anil Kumble (India) 28.21
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