Mohammad Kaif has special message for Anil Kumble on his ICC Hall of Fame induction

Mohammad Kaif who was known as one of the finest fielders during his playing days has come forward and given a special mention to spin legend, his former Indian team-mate, as well as a good friend Anil Kumble on social media.

The International Cricket Council (ICC)  had posted a video dedicated to 'Jumbo' earlier this week on its official social media handles as the governing body of world cricket remembered Kumble's successful cricketing career due to which he has been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.

'Held a generation of cricketers': Mohammad Kaif

Taking to the micro-blogging site, Kaif wrote that the leggie had held a generation of cricketers. Giving further clarification on the same, the ex-middle-order batsman added that he can never forget Anil's reassuring presence at the non-striker's end when the UP cricketer breached the three-figure mark for the very first time in the 50-overs format. Kaif then went on to address the legendary spinner as a mentor, role model, and legend and concluded by saying that .the career of this ICC Hall of Famer is definitely worth celebrating.

Once this came to the Karnataka cricketer's notice, he came forward and acknowledged his 2002 Natwest series-winning team-mate.

Anil Kumble's illustrious cricketing career

The Karnataka cricketer has 619 Test scalps. He is the third-highest wicket-taker in red-ball cricket after Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Aussie sensation Shane Warne (709) respectively. 'Jumbo' had bid adieu to international cricket in 2008. He is currently a commentator/analyst and a former coach of Team India.

The leggie was roped in as India's head coach in 2016 and stepped down from the position after the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 due to an alleged rift with skipper Virat Kohli.

The Men In Blue who were the defending champions had a great outing as they made it to the finals. However, they failed to defend their title by suffering a humiliating 180-run defeat at the hands of arch-rivals Pakistan who went on to win their maiden CT title.

Chasing a stiff target of 339 to retain their title, India's top-order including the likes of Rohit Sharma, skipper Virat Kohli, and Shikhar Dhawan were sent back to the pavilion early on as Kohli & Co. never recovered from the initial setback and were eventually bundled out for 158.