Anil Kumble represented the terms hard trier, match-winner, and a fighter in Indian cricket. Being India's most effective bowler in both Tests and ODIs, Kumble spearheaded the Indian bowling attack for more than a decade. Most remembered for being an out-and-out team man, he has been one of the greatest spinners to have ever played the game.

In a spectacular yet downplayed career, “Jumbo” claimed practically every Indian bowling record. Never a great turner of the ball, he always extracted enough from the surface to fox the batsmen with his consistent line and length. His googly, side spin and subtle variations in flight caused trouble for the batsmen. In 1999, he became the second bowler ever to scalp ten wickets in a Test innings, a feat first achieved by Jim Laker. Kumble's phenomenal ability to stomach pain was proved in Antigua in 2002 when he bandaged his fractured jaw and returned to the field to deliver a stirring spell. The leg-spinner received the ultimate gift in the twilight of his career after he was named India's Test skipper in 2007, following which he delivered India's first win against Pakistan at home in 27 years.
 

A career spanning 18 long and glorious years, Kumble played 132 Tests and 271 ODIs, picking 619 wickets in the former, while claiming 337 in the latter. The veteran bowler retired as the third highest wicket-taker in Tests, behind legends Muttiah Muralidaran and Shane Warne. His retirement from international cricket, however, didn't stop him from participating in the Indian Premier League in 2008. He led the Bangalore franchise in 2009 and afterwards took on the mentoring role. In 2013, Kumble shifted allegiance to Mumbai as chief mentor.
 

After those management stints in the Indian T20 League, he joined the International Cricket Council's Cricket Committee in 2012. In the year of 2016, he was made the Indian coach and within months of his joining, the team achieved the number one status in the ICC Test rankings. Under his one year tenure, the Indian team also went on to win the most number of Test matches in a calendar year. However, following his differences with skipper Virat Kohli, he stepped down from his post.