The 27-year-old Karnataka star bowled Zimbabwe tail-ender Garry Brent at the Queen's Club ground here to achieve the distinction in his 147th match.The silent match-winner is well ahead of contemporaries Shane Warne of Australia, Saqlain Mushtaq and Mushtaq Ahmed of Pakistan and Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan to achieve it.

``I knew about the impending milestone,'' a beaming Kumble told PTI. Coach Anshuman Gaekwad, unaware of the coming landmark, congratulated the bowler with a warm hug.

``A haul of 200 is marvellous any time and to think of it, this is my first in any grade of cricket,'' said Kumble, who is also on the verge of achieving a similar effort in Tests, having captured 197 victims so far.

The landmark could have arrived in the just-ended Sahara Cup in Toronto had not theCommonwealth Games interferred, but Kumble had no regrets. ``It was coming anyway, sooner or later,'' he said.