NEW DELHI (AP) - India captain Anil Kumble, the third most successful bowler in Test history with 619 wickets, announced his retirement at the end of the third Test against Australia.
The drawn match was halted 15 overs early Sunday and India leads the four-test series 1-0.
Leg-spinner Kumble, who turned 38 last month, badly injured his left hand during the match, which would have ruled him out of the final test at Nagpur starting Thursday.
The captain split the webbing while trying to catch Matthew Hayden at mid-wicket on Friday and was taken to the hospital where he received 11 stitches.
“It was a very tough decision after playing 18 years of (Test) cricket,” Kumble said. “My body gave me this decision, and this injury did.”
Kumble said he had made the decision on Saturday.
“I had decided to(leave after the series anyway,” Kumble said. “Delhi has been special to me and I think it’s fitting to finish here.”
He also struggled with his shoulder injury at the beginning of the series and did not not play in the second Test in Mohali.
Kumble’s wicket haul has come in 132 Tests and only Muttiah Muralitharan (756) and Shane Warne (708) stand ahead of him.
In 1999 Kumble became only the second bowler in test history behind England’s Jim Laker in 1956 to take all 10 wickets in an innings when he swept through Pakistan with 10-74.
He claimed 35 five-wicket hauls and collected 10 wickets in a match eight times. In his final series he did not take a wicket in the first Test - for the only time in India - but bravely returned with his hand bandaged to take 3-112 from 43.3 overs in the first innings here.
Kumble’s final Test wicket was to dismiss Mitchell Johnson caught and bowled on the fourth day.
At age 37 Kumble took over the captaincy in 2007 and was in charge of India’s first win at home over Pakistan in 27 years.
Before the first Test Kumble said this would be his final Test on his home ground in Bangalore but refused to set a date for his departure.
A useful lower-order batsman, Kumble’s highlight was scoring his only century with an unbeaten 110 against England at The Oval in 2007. His 45 in the first innings at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium took his career tally to 2506 runs at an average of 17.77.
Kumble made his debut against England in 1990.