Former India spinner and coach, Anil Kumble has recently recalled the 2002 Test between India and West Indies in which he bowled with a broken jaw.
A delivery from Marv Dillon left him bloodied and broke his jaw causing him great pain.
Although the medical team advised him to undergo surgery, Kumble remained unshaken by it and resumed playing.
Thus, he took a wicket in the 4th innings and gave away only 29 runs in his 14 overs.
Kumble says that the injury didn’t affect him one bit because he knew that he had to go back home anyways for the surgery.
I think I was the only spinner in the playing eleven. I didn’t play the previous two Test matches. I played the first one and then I was dropped for the next two and here I was coming back after the injury. After my shoulder, I played one series and then came back.
Adding further, he says,
Yeah so, I knew that I had to go and win the game. We had a chance with six hundred-plus runs on the board. Not many times, when you travel overseas you get that opportunity.
Kumble says that his wife thought he was joking about playing the Test with a broken jaw
Meanwhile, Kumble has also recalled a conversation that he had with his wife, Chethana about this incident.
I told my wife, Chethana and I called her up. When we spoke, I said, look I know I have to come home because I just need surgery. So, she arranged for all of that in Bangalore and I knew that I was coming back the next day and I dropped off the call, I just told her that look I’ll go and bowl, but she thought probably I was just joking. I went back to the dressing room.
Despite producing a great spell with the ball and enduring the pain, the match didn’t go either team’s way.
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