Anil Kumble is well-known for his many 10 wicket hauls in tests and his record of ten wickets in an innings, but his leadership record is practically ever acknowledged. Even though he only led his team for a short time, the circumstances that forced him to take the role of a captain were unusual. After David left the captaincy, he stepped up to a more prominent role when no one else was ready to fill this gap for Team India. He successfully delivered this role by winning the Test home series against Pakistan and Australia. Why would someone who has played cricket for 17 years not be able to perform as captain? In Kumble’s case, he performed it with great sensitivity.
By doing so, he provided enough time for Indian team management to look for another captain. This was the result of Anil Kumble’s timely taking up the captaincy role that led to the development of another great Indian captain MS Dhoni. Of course, this was a transition period for team India, and Anil Kumble served this role with an excellent performance as a spinner and captain.
| Captaincy Started | 2007 |
| Captaincy Ended | 2008 |
| Previous Captain | Rahul Dravid |
| Next Captain | MS Dhoni |
| Key Achievement | Winning Captain of Pakistan India Test Series 2007, Border Gavaskar Trophy in India 2008 |
All Formats Captaincy Record
Anil Kumble led Team India in 15 matches, winning 04 and losing 05 matches with an overall win percentage of 26. Overall, he led in 12 series, winning 04 and losing 04 while 04 series were drawn.
| Matches | Won | Winning % | Lost | Draw | W/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 04 | 26 | 05 | 06 | 0.8 |
Home & Away Captaincy Record
Anil Kumble was more successful at home than overseas since he only lost one game there, compared to his loss rate which is more at away venues outside of India. This shows his outstanding captaincy role at home for India.
Anil Kumble’s Test Captaincy Records
In total, Anil Kumble led Team India in 07 matches, winning 02 and losing 04. His leadership role was tested against Australia and Pakistan at a home venue where he stood out as a successful captain by winning both home series. His most memorable performance was achieving 600 wickets milestone in Test cricket. He became the third bowler after Muralitharan and Shane Warne to take 600 wickets in Test Cricket history. A large part of his captaincy matches ended in a draw showing his captain’s fighting ability.
| Matches | Won | Winning Percentage | Lost | Draw | W/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 03 | 21 | 05 | 06 | 0.6 |
Even though he has a 21 percent win rate as a captain, he is well-known for his home captaincy statistics, which are most fruitful for him.
Test Captaincy Records By Opposition
In his captaincy era, he faced top-ranked opposition Australia, Pakistan, South Africa, and Sri Lanka. He won matches against all those teams except South Africa, where his team failed to perform, losing all matches in the series. His first series was against rival Pakistan at the home venue, where he showed excellent captaincy to prove his selection as a captain of team India.
| Opposition | Matches | Won | Win % | Lost | Draw |
| Australia | 06 | 01 | 16 | 02 | 03 |
| Sri Lanka | 03 | 01 | 33 | 02 | 0 |
| Pakistan | 03 | 01 | 33 | 0 | 02 |
| South Africa | 02 | 0 | 0 | 01 | 01 |
Test Series Record under Anil Kumble Captaincy
Anil Kumble led India in five Test matches, winning two, losing two, and having one series end in a tie. His two most famous victories were a series victory over Pakistan and against the Australian team in the Border Gavaskar Series on Indian soil.
Anil Kumble Captaincy Record in ODI
In ODI cricket, Anil had a chance to lead his team in a single match in the 2002 ODI series against England. He was given this opportunity for only one match, that team India won at Chennai. Sachin Tendulkar was announced as man of the match for his match-winning century that helped India chase the target. Anil Kumble took two crucial wickets of Michael Vaughan and Andrew Flintoff.
| Matches | Won | Winning % | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 01 | 100 | 0 |
Conclusion
In conclusion, Anil Kumble performed his duties as captain excellently, freeing up more time for MS Dhoni to mature into a future leader. The nicest thing that ever occurred was his appointment as India’s first-ever leg spin test captain and taking 600 wickets in Test cricket. His transition role was wonderful, but he cannot be compared to MS Dhoni or any other regular iconic captain.
Anil Kumble Bowling Stats As Capt. VS Player
We can see from the stats given below that Anil Kumble’s economy rate and bowling average figure increased during this captaincy tenure. This shows his supremacy in his bowling stats as a player than as a bowling captain. The positive thing is that his wicket-taking ability was not reduced which shows his outstanding bowling skills and he is still the highest wicket-taker for India in Test Cricket.
| As Captain | Not As Captain / Player | |
| Matches | 14 | 118 |
| Innings | 25 | 211 |
| Overs | 196 | 6117 |
| Wickets | 53 | 566 |
| Maidens | 112 | 1464 |
| Runs Conceded | 2093 | 16692 |
| Bowling Average | 39 | 28 |
| Econ. | 3.0 | 2.6 |
| 05 Wicket Hauls | 02 | 33 |
| 10 Wicket Hauls | 0 | 08 |
