Legendary spinner Anil Kumble enjoyed a stellar international career with the Indian cricket team and remains the highest wicket-taker for them in Test cricket.
In his over two-decade-long career, Kumble achieved several laurels for Team India playing under the captaincy of a number of Indian captains including the likes of Mohammad Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. But when it came to name his favourite Indian skipper, he had no doubts over whom he rated the highest.
The stylish Mohammad Azharuddin is Kumble’s favourite captain as he made his international debut under him and was inspired by his remarkable leadership skills.
Azharuddin, an elegant middle-order batsman, led India in 47 Test matches and 174 One Day Internationals. He led the team to victory in 90 ODIs, a record that was broken by MS Dhoni in 2014. Kumble, who played under Ganguly and mentored Dhoni during his time as the team’s coach feels Azharuddin stood out for him as a captain.
While he picked Azhar as his favourite captain, he also revealed that his wife was a huge fan of Dhoni and never forgets to take a picture when she meets the wicket-keeper batsman. “She always takes a picture with him when we meet,” Kumble was quoted as saying by Sportstar.
