Nothing is more fascinating in cricket than an exhilarating and equal contest between a batsman and a bowler.
Duels between two players at the top of their games always makes for a fascinating rivalry, and cricket has been blessed to witness several of these over the course of its history. From Sachin Tendulkar against Glenn McGrath to Sir Viv Richards versus Jeff Thompson, the sport has seen legendary battles played out across the 22 yards.
However, there are some duels which sound exciting in theory, but shall never materialise. These are between players divided by eras, with their respective playing careers failing to intertwine.
In this series, we play out a few such hypothetical match-ups by closely examining the statistics of the players involved. Below, we pit Australia’s explosive opener David Warner against former India leg-spin stalwart Anil Kumble in the Test format.
David Warner (Left-hand bat)
Playing career: 2011-ongoing
Test innings: 155
Runs: 7244
Centuries: 24
Average: 48.94
When it comes to the best all-format batsmen in the world currently, David Warner is right up there with the ‘Fab Four’ of Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson. Surprisingly though, his greatest success so far have in the Test whites of Australia.
Despite earning his maiden Australia call-up as a T20 specialist in 2009, Warner’s powers of adaptability has seen him become a whirlwind success in the five-day format.
Although his career has often been overshadowed by controversies such as the Newlands ball-tampering scandal, there is no denying that the southpaw has been the best performing Test opener since his introduction for Australia.
Only the second opener in history after Sunil Gavaskar to register three consecutive tons twice in his career, Warner has eclipsed several landmarks on his way to accumulating 24 Test centuries. He gained entry to the exclusive club Test triple centurions last year when he slammed an unbeaten 335 against Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval.
An aggressive batsman who scores his Test runs at a strike-rate of nearly 73, Warner packs a powerful punch with his strokes despite his diminutive stature.
Anil Kumble (Right-arm leg-spin)
Playing career: 1990-2008
Tests: 132
Wickets: 619
Average: 29.65
Strike-rate: 65.9
Five-wicket hauls: 35
Nicknamed ‘Jumbo’ for good reason, Anil Kumble’s 619 scalps make him the third most prolific bowler in the Test format. While he might not have possessed the sharp turn the likes of Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan were able to generate, Kumble’s effectiveness lied in his lethal accuracy.
A tall man, the Indian leg-spinner was capable of extracting sharp bounce from the pitch while delivering the ball at a deceptively quick pace. His consistent targeting of the batsmen’s stumps, combined with a cleverly disguised googly, turned him into a nightmare to handle on the turning tracks of the subcontinent.
His 10-74 against Pakistan in the 1999 Test in New Delhi made him only the second bowler after England’s Jim Laker to claim all 10 wickets in a single innings.
A relentless bowler with a fighting attitude, Kumble was a big reason for India’s Test dominance at home under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly. His calendar-year haul of 61 wickets earned him a place among the prestigious Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1996.
Warner vs Kumble – What the stats say
Years in the Indian Premier League have turned Warner into an accomplished player of spin. The Aussie’s statistics show that he fares better against spinners than he does against fast bowling. While he averages a healthy 37 against pace, it shoots up to a commanding 57 while facing up to spinners.
Against right-armed spinners, the average further creeps up to nearly 60. It is important to note that the Sydney-born batsman has been a playing his cricket in period where there aren’t many leg-spinners operating in Tests.
Pakistan’s Yasir Shah is perhaps the closest equivalent to Kumble that Warner has faced in the Test format. In the seven Tests that he has been pitted against the Pakistan leggie, Warner has been dismissed just once while averaging a staggering 133.
That he bats as an opener means that the Australian doesn’t usually face spinners until the ball is slightly older. Hence, he is most likely already set at the crease by the time the slower bowlers come into the attack.
One striking aspect of Warner’s Test career so far is the disparity between his home and away displays. He averages a daunting 66 in Australian conditions, but that drops down significantly to 34.50 on his travels abroad. His record in India is particularly poor and he averages a dismal 24 after 16 innings in the country.
Meanwhile, there is a wide deviance between Kumble’s track-record at home and overseas as well. The India spinner averages less than 25 with the ball in India compared to nearly 36 away from home. While he has managed to pick up 49 wickets in 16 innings in Australia, they have come at a worrying average of 37.73.
Overall in his career, Kumble has fared much better against right-handers than he has against left-handed batsmen. Some 452 of his Test dismissals have come against right-handers at an average of 26.69. The remaining 167 victims come in the form of left-handers at an average of 34.49.
Although he was a proven match-winner for India, the leg-spinner does not have a flattering record against opening and top-order batsmen. In fact, his average with the ball is above 40 for each of the batting positions ranging from No1 to 4.
He does not also have favourable track record whenever bowling to batsmen of similar ilk to Warner such as Matthew Hayden, Chris Gayle, Justin Langer and Graeme Smith (averages over 50 against each of them).
VERDICT
The above numbers and statistics favour Warner for the most part, although the hypothetical battle would mostly boil down to the conditions on offer. Statistically, both players are home-track bullies who are unable to perform with the same intensity when travelling abroad.
In India, Kumble’s excellence at home coupled with Warner’s struggles in India should stand the spinner in good stead. Expect the Indian to dominate this duel for the greater part on the turning pitches in the subcontinent.
However, should conditions be reversed and the tussle takes place in Australia instead, then it is Warner who is expected to come out on top. The fact that the opening batsman has a powerful reverse sweep in his armoury should aid him greatly against Kumble’s leg-spin.
