Kumble joins Muralitharan and Warne by passing 600

PERTH, Jan 17 (Reuters) India captain Anil Kumble joined one of cricket's most exclusive clubs when he captured his 600th test wicket during the third Test against Australia today.

Kumble joined fellow spinners Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka and Australia's Shane Warne as the only players to take more than 600 test scalps when he had Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds caught at slip by Rahul Dravid.

Kumble, who picked up another wicket for good measure to finish off the Australian innings, said he was humbled by the achievement.

''It means a lot, you never think when you first start off that you will reach that milestone, but having played this long you keep crossing landmarks and milestones,'' he told a news conference.

''When you first start off, people don't even think you will last two test matches, so it means a lot. You have the belief and you have the faith.'' Despite being the third greatest wicket-taker in cricket history, Kumble has rarely received the same recognition as Muralitharan and Warne.

A tall wrist-spinner who has often been criticised for not turning the ball a lot, Kumble has long silenced his doubters over a distinguished 18-year career, achieving several feats that neither Muralitharan or Warne have managed.

Along with England's Jim Laker, Kumble is one of only two bowlers to have taken 10 wickets in a test innings, which he achieved against Pakistan in 1998/99.

He achieved the distinction of scoring a century against England last year and was awarded the captaincy the same season, at the ripe old age of 37 after shoulder injuries had briefly stalled his career when he was younger.

Kumble is also one of the most respected players in the game.

Australia's vice-captain Adam Gilchrist rang Kumble when he captured his 500th wicket and was batting at the non-strikers end when Kumble grabbed his 600th.

''I've always found him a real pleasure to play against,'' Gilchrist said of Kumble.

''He's got very clever with his experience and those subtle changes in flight, his position on the crease.

''He's just trying to create a little bit of doubt in the batsmen's mind and he's doing that in an effective fashion.

''It's a real credit to him to get that achievement.''

Source: deepikaglobal.com