Anil Kumble, a legend for India, remembered his legendary spell against the West Indies during a Test match in 2002 despite having a broken jaw.
Notably, Marv Dillon delivered a freakish delivery that left Kumble spitting blood, and as a result, Kumble took a significant punch to the jaw. After reviewing the scans, the medical staff recommended that Kumble have surgery. The renowned spinner took a wicket in the final innings while only allowing 29 runs in his 14 overs because he was willing to take up the task and continue playing.
Kumble recalled the match and said that despite getting hurt, he was unaffected because he had to return home the next day for surgery and so kept playing. The only spinner in the starting eleven, I believe, was me. I did not participate in the first two test games. After playing in the first, I was benched for the following two, and now I was returning from injury. I played one series after my shoulder surgery before returning,” Kumble told CRICKETMOOD
“Okay, well, I knew I had to go win the game. With over 600 runs on the scoreboard, we had a shot. You don’t often have that opportunity until you visit abroad. Since I knew I would be returning home, I thought that if I could get there and then potentially grab a few wickets and put the team in a strong position, we had a chance to win.
Anil Kumble added that after talking with his wife Chethana about the situation, she assisted in setting up the surgery following his return to India.
“I called Chethana after telling my wife, and I did so. I told you when we spoke that I merely needed surgery and that I had to go home. She made all of the arrangements in Bangalore, and since I knew I would be returning the following day, I just informed her as I hung up the phone, “Look, I’m going bowling,” but she assumed I was joking. Kumble continued, “I returned to the dressing room.
The game eventually finished on even terms, despite Kumble giving a fantastic performance while playing through agony.
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