A mentor, role model, legend: Mohammad Kaif's tribute to Anil Kumble

Kumble picked up 619 wickets in 132 Test matches

In 1990, when a 19-year-old Indian leg-spinner arrived on the international stage, eyebrows were raised. The young man, despite being a spinner, barely spun the ball. Experts opined that he was not the spinner India was looking for. The leggie was dropped, and would have to wait for two years to play for India again.

Years later, Anil Kumble went on to become one of the greatest bowlers the sport has ever seen.

The spinner who barely turned the ball picked up 619 wickets in 132 Test matches, the third-highest wicket tally in the red-ball format. Ahead of him are two other spinners who turned the ball like magic: Shane Warne (708 wickets) in the second position, and Muttiah Muralitharan (800 wickets) in the first.

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Kumble excelled in ODI cricket as well. He bagged 337 wickets in 271 ODIs, with a knack for picking up wickets at crucial moments. As a mark of respect to his achievements, International Cricket Council (ICC) included him in its Hall of Fame in 2015.

Recently, ICC posted a video of Kumble's achievements on Twitter, with the caption, "If you were a batsman facing Anil Kumble, you knew that he had a plan for you."

Reacting to the ICC post, former Indian batsman Mohammad Kaif wrote, ".@anilkumble1074 hand-held a generation of cricketers & I can vouch for this... I can't forget his reassuring presence at the non-striker's end when I got my first ODI hundred. A mentor, a role model, a legend..the career of this @icc Hall of Famer is definitely worth celebrating."

In reply to his teammate's heartfelt message, Kumble said, "Thanks Kaifi".

In the video, legendary players like Stephen Fleming, Kumar Sangakkara, Wasim Akram and Mahela Jayawardene heaped praises on Kumble's skills and determination as a bowler.