Harbhajan Singh names Anil Kumble as 'the greatest match-winner India has ever produced'
Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has named Anil Kumble as the greatest match-winner India has ever produced. The 39-year-old veteran heaped praise on the legendary leg-spinner and acknowledged that he was incredibly privileged to have played with him for a long time.
When asked by Sportstar to pick the greatest cricketer to have played for India, Singh opted for his spin bowling partner Anil Kumble, stating that the former India captain had shown that one could get a batsman out just by sheer willpower. He said:
"In my view, Anil bhai was the greatest ever who played for India. He’s probably the greatest match-winner India has ever produced. People used to say he didn’t spin the ball, but he showed that if you had the heart, you could get batsmen out regardless of whether the ball spun or not."
Harbhajan Singh further lauded Kumble's determination and stated that he was lucky to have played with him for a major part of his international career.
"If anyone has half the competitiveness Anil bhai had, he would become a champion. I’m lucky to have played with him for so many years. He was an unbelievably committed player."
Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble: The deadly spin-bowling pair
Anil Kumble is the highest wicket-taker for India in both Test cricket and One Day Internationals. Harbhajan Singh, on the other hand, occupies the third and fifth spot in the list of highest wicket-takers for India in Tests and ODIs respectively.
Kumble tallied 619 Test scalps in the 132 matches in which he represented India. This includes 35 five-wicket hauls and 8 occasions on which he took 10 wickets in a match. His greatest moment was arguably the 10-wicket haul against Pakistan in the Delhi test of 1999.
Meanwhile, Harbhajan Singh has 417 sticks to his name in Test cricket. He bagged a five-wicket haul on 25 occasions and a ten-wicket match haul 5 times. He is most remembered for his series-defining performance against Australia in 2001.
The duo played 54 Test matches together for India, bagging a total of 501 wickets in those encounters. While Anil Kumble accounted for 281 of these wickets, Harbhajan Singh managed to snare 220 scalps.
In ODI cricket, Kumble bagged 337 wickets while Singh tallied 269 scalps. In the 47 ODIs they played together, they accounted for 110 wickets in total. Both players had an almost equal share in these scalps, with the leg-spinner taking 54 wickets and the off-spinner getting rid of 56 batsmen.