Anil Kumble achieved the fourth best figures by an Indian bowler in an 'away' Test when he finished with the figures of 8 for 141 in 46.5 overs in Australia's first innings of the Sydney Test.
This was the second occasion when Kumble claimed eight or more wickets in an innings. The other such occasion came against Pakistan at Delhi in 1999-00, when he had that record ten-wicket haul.
Kumble thus became the fourth Indian after Kapil Dev, Vinoo Mankad and Narendra Hirwani to capture eight wickets in an innings on more than one occasion. Kapil is the only Indian to have taken eight-wicket hauls on three occasions.
Kumble's figures are the second best by an Indian on Australian soil after Kapil Dev's 8 for 106 at Adelaide in 1985-86 and also the tenth best by any bowler against the Australians on their turf.
Best innings figures by Indians abroad:
| Wkts | Runs | Balls | Bowler | For | Vs | Inns | Test | Venue | Season |
| 8 | 76 | 184 | EAS Prasanna | Ind | NZ | 2nd | 1st | Auckland | 1975-76 |
| 8 | 85 | 185 | Kapil Dev | Ind | Pak | 1st | 5th | Lahore | 1982-83 |
| 8 | 106 | 228 | Kapil Dev | Ind | Aus | 1st | 1st | Adelaide | 1985-86 |
| 8 | 141 | 281 | A Kumble | Ind | Aus | 1st | 4th | Sydney | 2003-04 |
| 7 | 162 | 396 | SP Gupte | Ind | WI | 1st | 1st | Port-of-Spain | 1952-53 |
| 7 | 220 | 232 | Kapil Dev | Ind | Pak | 1st | 3rd | Faisalabad | 1982-83 |
Best innings figures by Indians:
| Wkts | Runs | Balls | Bowler | For | Vs | Inns | Test | Venue | Season |
| 10 | 74 | 159 | A Kumble | Ind | Pak | 2nd | 2nd | Delhi | 1998-99 |
| 9 | 69 | 215 | JM Patel | Ind | Aus | 1st | 2nd | Kanpur | 1959-60 |
| 9 | 83 | 183 | Kapil Dev | Ind | WI | 2nd | 3rd | Ahmedabad | 1983-84 |
| 9 | 102 | 207 | SP Gupte | Ind | WI | 1st | 2nd | Kanpur | 1958-59 |
| 8 | 52 | 282 | MH Mankad | Ind | Pak | 1st | 1st | Delhi | 1952-53 |
| 8 | 55 | 233 | MH Mankad | Ind | Eng | 1st | 5th | Madras (Chepauk) | 1951-52 |
| 8 | 61 | 111 | ND Hirwani | Ind | WI | 1st | 4th | Madras (Chepauk) | 1987-88 |
| 8 | 72 | 307 | S Venkataraghavan | Ind | NZ | 1st | 4th | Delhi | 1964-65 |
| 8 | 75 | 92 | ND Hirwani | Ind | WI | 2nd | 4th | Madras (Chepauk) | 1987-88 |
| 8 | 76 | 184 | EAS Prasanna | Ind | NZ | 2nd | 1st | Auckland | 1975-76 |
| 8 | 79 | 251 | BS Chandrasekhar | Ind | Eng | 1st | 1st | Delhi | 1972-73 |
| 8 | 84 | 251 | Harbhajan Singh | Ind | Aus | 2nd | 3rd | Madras (Chepauk) | 2000-01 |
| 8 | 85 | 185 | Kapil Dev | Ind | Pak | 1st | 5th | Lahore | 1982-83 |
| 8 | 86 | 162 | J Srinath | Ind | Pak | 2nd | 3rd | Calcutta | 1998-99 |
| 8 | 106 | 228 | Kapil Dev | Ind | Aus | 1st | 1st | Adelaide | 1985-86 |
| 8 | 141 | 281 | A Kumble | Ind | Aus | 1st | 4th | Sydney | 2003-04 |
Best innings figures against Australia in Australia:
| Wkts | Runs | Balls | Bowler | For | Vs | Inns | Test | Venue | Season |
| 9 | 52 | 142 | RJ Hadlee | NZ | Aus | 1st | 1st | Brisbane | 1985-86 |
| 9 | 86 | 284 | Sarfraz Nawaz | Pak | Aus | 2nd | 1st | Melbourne | 1978-79 |
| 8 | 35 | 109 | GA Lohmann | Eng | Aus | 1st | 2nd | Sydney | 1886-87 |
| 8 | 58 | 260 | GA Lohmann | Eng | Aus | 1st | 2nd | Sydney | 1891-92 |
| 8 | 68 | 90 | W Rhodes | Eng | Aus | 2nd | 2nd | Melbourne | 1903-04 |
| 8 | 81 | 175 | LC Braund | Eng | Aus | 1st | 5th | Melbourne | 1903-04 |
| 8 | 94 | 217 | T Richardson | Eng | Aus | 1st | 5th | Sydney | 1897-98 |
| 8 | 106 | 228 | Kapil Dev | Ind | Aus | 1st | 1st | Adelaide | 1985-86 |
| 8 | 126 | 389 | JC White | Eng | Aus | 2nd | 4th | Adelaide | 1928-29 |
| 8 | 141 | 281 | A Kumble | Ind | Aus | 1st | 4th | Sydney | 2003-04 |
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