New Delhi. It is often said in the world of cricket that T20 is a youth's game, but in the year 2009, a 38-year-old legend completely demolished this notion. That legend was none other than India's most successful spinner Anil Kumble. After retiring from international cricket, when he took charge of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), he not only spread the magic of his spin but also set an example of captaincy which is still recorded in the golden pages of IPL history.
The biggest feature of Anil Kumble's bowling was his accuracy. In the 2009 season, which was played on South African pitches, Kumble challenged the traditional methods of T20. He was such a captain and bowler who used to set the 'attacking field' in T20 like in a Test match. He instigated the batsmen not to stop runs but to take wickets. His leg-spin and 'flipper' did not give the batsmen a chance to stay on the crease.
2009 final: Became 'king' even after losing
The final match of IPL 2009 was played between Deccan Chargers and RCB in Johannesburg. In the ipl final 2009 match, Kumble did a feat which was never repeated in IPL history. He bowled incredibly on a big stage like the final and took 4 wickets for 16 runs and his spell broke the back of Deccan Chargers. The spell bowled by Anil Kumble against Deccan Chargers in the 2009 IPL final is still considered to be the best performance by a captain in the final. He took 4 wickets for 16 runs.
The four big batsmen Kumble hunted were Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Rohit Sharma and Venugopal Rao. He did not allow them to stay on the wicket. Although, RCB lost this thrilling match by just 6 runs, but Kumble's performance was so impressive that he was named 'Man of the Match'. He became the first captain in IPL history whose team lost the final, yet he got the title of Player of the Match.
jumbo's magic spell
Anil Kumble's spell of 5 wickets for 5 runs (5/5) is considered to be one of the most lethal and economical spells in IPL history. This magical performance came on 18 April 2009 against Rajasthan Royals at the Newlands ground in Cape Town. Royal Challengers Bangalore, batting first, scored only 133 runs. This target was small to defend, but Kumble's bowling made it impossible for Rajasthan. Kumble bowled only 3.1 overs, in which he bowled one maiden over and took 5 wickets for just 5 runs. He completely destroyed the middle and lower orders of Rajasthan. His victims included names like veteran Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja and captain Shane Warne.
historical record:
Anil Kumble became the oldest bowler (38 years) to take 5 wickets in IPL. His economy rate of 1.57 is still counted among the best spells of IPL. Due to his bowling, the entire team of Rajasthan Royals was reduced to just 58 runs, which was the second lowest score in IPL at that time. Kumble used his 'Test Match Length' in this match. Instead of letting the ball fly in the air, he deceived the batsmen with his trademark pace and precise line.
Anil Kumble had lifted RCB from the bottom of the points table that season and taken them to the finals. He showed that experience and passion are not dependent on age. That captaincy of 'Jumbo' is still an emotion for the fans of RCB, which gave a fighting spirit to the team. That performance of Kumble is proof that if you have the technique and the brain, you can rule the field even after retirement.
