Top 3 Performances By Jasprit Bumrah in Test Cricket
Jasprit Bumrah. [PC: X]
No one can deny the fact that Jasprit Bumrah is currently one of the pillars of Indian cricket. The ace pacer has risen the ranks to become one of the best fast bowlers India has ever produced. From being called ridiculously unorthodox to lead India’s pace attack in all three formats of the game, Bumrah has written his own script of greatness.
Over the years, the star pacer has been a key member in team India’s success, particularly in Test cricket, during what was regarded as the golden period of the Indian Men’s Test side. His success can be attributed to his tremendous mental strength and his ability to constantly work on his skills which is second to none.
Right from Bumrah’s debut series against South Africa back in 2018, the 30-year-old has produced some marvelous performances which hardly any Indian cricket fans can forget. With team India back in South Africa for a two-match Test series, and Jasprit Bumrah making his return to the Test side, let's take a look at his top three bowling performances in Test cricket till date.
2/27 vs England, London in 2021
Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Jonny Bairstow. [PC: X]
In the scorecard, Jasprit Bumrah’s figures of 2/27 will not catch much of an attention but in reality, what the Indian star delivered on that day on a fifth day pitch at the Oval was nothing short of excellence.
On a surface that had no real assistance for the fast bowlers with England openers starting strongly in the chase, India needed something special to turn the screws. With the game meandering towards a draw, Indian skipper Virat Kohli asked his main man Bumrah to bowl what turned out to be a match turning spell.
Post lunch, with a hint of reverse swing, Bumrah bowled the most threatening 6-over spell of the series. It was a standout display of fast bowling where firstly he built pressure on the batters and went on to demolish the stumps of Ollie Pope and Jonny Bairstow with two unplayable in-swinging yorkers.
England got wrapped up rather quickly at the end and without a doubt it was Bumrah’s devilish spell which did wonders to register a historic win for Kohli’s men. Moreover, the ace pacer unleashed one of the best spells of his career to become the fastest Indian pacer to reach 100 Test wickets, beating the great Kapil Dev.
5/54 vs South Africa, Johannesburg in 2018
Jasprit Bumrah registered his maiden Test fifer. [PC: X]
This was Jasprit Bumrah’s maiden Test five-wicket haul and it came in his very first Test series of his career. South Africa hosted India for a three-match Test series and had already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead before this Test.
Batting first, India could only manage 187 runs on the board and needed something special to restrict the Proteas from getting a big lead. India did start strongly with two early wickets but the 3rd wicket partnership between Kagiso Rabada and Hashim Amla brought the hosts back in the game.
However, before things got out of control, India managed to get the breakthrough and rest was taken care of by Bumrah towards the end. Yes, after the two quick wickets of Rabada and AB de Villiers, Bumrah came back into the attack, troubled Faf du Plessis straightaway and ended up castling his off-stump.
He went on to remove Quinton de Kock and also took the all important wicket of a set Hashim Amla on his way to his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket. More importantly, Bumrah played a big part to restrict South Africa from getting a 1st innings big lead and eventually, India won the match by 63 runs to end the series on a high.
6/33 vs Australia, Melbourne in 2018
Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Shaun Marsh with a slower yorker. [PC: X]
Jasprit Bumrah was hardly a year old in Test cricket and was already making the headlines for all good reasons. After this Test match he became the first Asian bowler to take a Test five-wicket haul in each of South Africa, England and Australia in the same calendar year.
This performance against Australia at their own backyard is without a doubt his best with the red cherry, considering the conditions and the weight of it in the Indian cricketing folklore.
After two days of untroubled batting on what seemed to be the flatest deck on earth, Bumrah showed how to be successful on that MCG surface with his mastery of skills. The surface had literally nothing for the bowlers and looking at India’s batting in the first two days, a draw was very much the possibility.
However, who knew we will see a master at work, a standout performance on the third day, breaking the back of the Australian batting with his pace and variation. The slower dipping yorker to dismiss Shaun Marsh just before Lunch will be etched in the memory of Indian cricket fans forever.
Bumrah registered his third five-wicket haul and his best career figures of 6 for 33 to send Australia packing for just 151 in reply to India’s 443/7d in the first innings. Eventually, India won the Test match by a huge 137-run margin and went on to clinch their first ever Test series in Australia later in Sydney.
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