Kumble, the 3rd 600-man

Indian captain Anil Kumble holds aloft the match ball after claiming his 600th wicket in Test matches with the dismissal of Australia batsman Andrew Symonds on the second day of the third Test at WACA in Perth on Thursday.Photo: AFP

India captain Anil Kumble became just the third bowler in Test history to claim 600 wickets on the second day of the third Test at the WACA here Thursday.
With India's seamers on top of the Australians early in their innings, Kumble delayed his introduction into the attack, but struck just after tea to end a 102-run partnership between Andrew Symonds and Adam Gilchrist.
With the fourth ball of his fifth over, Kumble bowled a shorter, faster delivery and it cramped Symonds, who got a thick edge.
The ball rebounded off the top of wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's glove and ballooned to Rahul Dravid at first slip.
Dravid completed the simple catch and umpire Asad Rauf seemed to allow Symonds the opportunity to walk, before eventually raising his finger to spark Indian celebrations.
As Symonds departed, the 37-year-old leg-spinner raised the ball to an appreciative crowd.
"It means a lot. You never think when you first start off that you will reach that milestone but having played this long you keep crossing landmarks and milestones," he said.
"I'd like to thank my family, my wife, my kids and all the teammates right through my career, the 18 years I have played... and the bowlers who have actually bowled from the other end, and the catchers," he added.
"It was an irony that (my state pal) Rahul took the catch as he has probably taken the most catches off my bowling -- 56."
Kumble finished with 2-42 from 12 overs, taking a simple return catch from tailender Shaun Tait to end the Australian first innings.
He has 601 wickets at 28.65 in 124 Tests.
The skipper was pleased to bring up the milestone with the important wicket of Symonds, ending an Australian recovery.
Kumble has enjoyed some of the best form of his Test career in recent years and said his form had improved since he recovered from shoulder problems in 2000-2001.
"I'm probably more relaxed and all the experience I have had in different conditions, I have used that," he said.
Gilchrist, the not out batsman for Australia, at the crease said the achievement was a great credit to Kumble.
"He's got very clever with his experience and those subtle changes in flight, his position on the crease," he added.
Only Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralidaran, with 723 victims, and retired Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne, with 708, have taken more wickets in Test cricket.
Kumble admitted that he was motivated to prove his critics wrong and criticism spurred him to strive for better results.
"Right through my career, there have been a lot of criticisms, critics who egg you on to go out and prove yourself," said a visibly happy Kumble.
"Whenever I was out of the team there was something for me to get better," he added.
Kumble has been an unconventional bowler during his career so far but he said in order to succeed it never really mattered to him.
"What is important for a bowler is to put doubts in the mind of the batsmen, something which I have been able to do for all these years.
"It doesn't matter whether you bowl bouncers, swing it, spin or bowl it with pace. The important thing is to create doubts in the mind of a batsman."
"He (Gilchrist) had called me up from Bangladesh when I took my 500 Test wicket and today, at the end of the day, I jokingly told him it would have been great if he was my 600th victim," he said.