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Jasprit Bumrah Overtakes Rabada, Starc To Achieve Special 'First Over' Feat In Tests

Anurag Dasgupta

Bumrah first over feat in Tests [Source: AP Photo] Bumrah first over feat in Tests [Source: AP Photo]

There is no doubt that Jasprit Bumrah is the best bowler across formats at the moment and he once again proved his mettle in the first over of the England innings on Saturday. Under overcast conditions, Bumrah took the red new cherry in his hand and immediately showcased his class by dismissing the opening batter, Zak Crawley.

In the first over, Bumrah bowled an out-swinger on the middle stump as Crawley aimed to play it on the leg side but got an outside edge straight into the hands of Karun Nair at first slip. This not only gave India their first breakthrough but also helped the pacer surpass Kagiso Rabada and Mitch Starc in a special feat.

Before the Headingley Test match, Bumrah, Rabada and Starc had the most first-over wickets in Tests since 2021. The trio had 7 wickets each and when the Indian bowler bamboozled Crawley, he crossed the Proteas and the Aussie pacer in the elite list. The right-arm bowler now has 8 wickets in the first over of the Tests, a record in the last 4 years.

Most wickets in the first over since 2021

Bowlers
Wickets Taken
Jasprit Bumrah8
Kagiso Rabada7
Mitchell Starc7
Kemar Roach6

Apart from Bumrah, Starc and Rabada, West Indian seamer, Kemar Roach also makes the cut as the right-armer has 6 wickets in first over since 2021.

What makes Bumrah so lethal at the top?

For starters, there is no delivery which Bumrah cannot bowl in cricket. He has an excellent in-swinger, a brilliant out-swing, can also bowl deadly yorkers, and can also surprise the batter with a sharp bouncer. This unpredictability makes him hard to read. There is no set pattern which he follows and the batters find it difficult to read his lines and lengths.

Talking about lines and lengths, he has excellent control over it. While others struggle to control the ball movement, the pace bowler makes it look easy and the batters are hardly given any room to free their arms.