Jasprit Bumrah breaks the 200-wicket barrier in Tests, becomes fastest India pacer to this milestone

Jasprit Bumrah completes 200-wickets in Test cricket and becomes the first India pacer to reach the milestone. What makes Jasprit Bumrah so special?

Jasprit Bumrah has been single-handedly giving sleepless nights to Australia’s batters in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Whether it’s delivering early breakthroughs with the new ball, sparking batting collapses with the older ball, or breaking partnerships with the second new ball, Bumrah has executed all these tasks with great finesse. Rather than trying to decode him, Australia has chosen to play out his spell and focus on scoring off other bowlers—a testament to Bumrah’s dominance in the series.

In the Melbourne Test, Australia tried something “different” by unleashing 19-year-old debutant Sam Konstas with attacking strokeplay to challenge Bumrah’s dominance. In the first innings, Konstas stunned Bumrah with a reverse ramp for six, marking the first time Bumrah conceded a six in Test cricket in three years. However, Bumrah had the last laugh, bowling Konstas through the gates in the second innings. The India pacer also dismissed Australia’s key batter Travis Head for single-digit scores in both innings, further cementing his impact on the match.

Bumrah achieves special record

Head’s dismissal in the second innings saw Jasprit Bumrah etch his name into the record books as the only bowler to reach 200 Test wickets with a bowling average of less than 20. Remarkably, Bumrah has conceded the fewest runs to achieve this milestone, highlighting how challenging it is for batters to score against him. His disciplined and intelligent bowling enables him to take wickets in all conditions, across continents, and against varied opponents, making him a truly versatile and impactful bowler.

Read More: AUS vs IND, 4th Test, Day 4: Ebbs & flows continue unabated; Aus 333 ahead with a wicket in hand

Here’s the complete list of players with the best bowling average and least runs conceded to 200 Test wickets.

Bumrah boasts fourth-best strike rate in Tests 

Bumrah also boasts the fourth-best strike rate among pacers in Test cricket. His strike rate of 42.4—equating to a wicket roughly every seven overs—underscores his consistent threat to opposing batters. Additionally, Bumrah ranks among the fastest to reach 200 Test wickets by balls bowled, with only Waqar Younis, Dale Steyn, and Kagiso Rabada ahead of him in this elite category.

Here’s the complete list of players with best strike rate to 200 Test wickets.

Read More: BGT 2024-25: Bumrah bowled with brilliance & captained with craft in Perth

What makes Bumrah so effective?

Bumrah’s unique bowling action 

Bumrah’s sling-arm bowling action poses a challenge for batters, making it difficult to pick his deliveries. Additionally, he expertly uses his wrist to generate extra revolutions on the ball, enabling him to make it move precisely as he desires. Despite having an unconventional action once deemed unsustainable for Test cricket, Bumrah exhibits remarkable control over his deliveries.

Bumrah had the last laugh against Konstas

Konstas’ dismissal in the second innings of the Melbourne Test exemplifies how Bumrah leverages his unique action and wrist work to his advantage. The delivery was pitched well outside the off-stump on a good length, but it skidded sharply to exploit the bat-pad gap and hit the top of the middle stump. This marked a successful contest for Bumrah, who outsmarted Konstas, a batter who had earlier attacked him in the first innings.

Read More: Case for Jasprit Bumrah to bowl first change in Tests

Bumrah’s disciplined bowling 

The success of fast bowlers often hinges on their discipline. They cannot afford to follow five good balls with a loose delivery. Successful bowlers quickly assess the pitch and conditions, determining the ideal line and length to trouble batters. They then persistently bowl in that channel, making life difficult for the opposition. This disciplined approach often forces batters into mistakes, leading to their dismissal. Bumrah embodies these qualities. His exceptional discipline with line and length, combined with his ability to make the ball move to his command, consistently earns him wickets.

Bumrah’s exceptional cricketing brain 

Bumrah also possesses a sharp cricketing brain. He has a remarkable ability to identify a batter’s weaknesses and exploit them effectively. Moreover, he is adept at setting traps to dismiss batters. A perfect example of this was Mitchell Marsh’s dismissal in the first innings at Melbourne. 

When Marsh, looking to hit his way out of bad form, struck a boundary off Bumrah, the bowler quickly sensed his intent. Anticipating Marsh’s aggression, Bumrah delivered a slightly shorter ball—one not short enough for a comfortable pull. Marsh took the bait, attempting an expansive pull, and edged behind, falling perfectly into Bumrah’s trap.

Praises from opposition team members

Despite troubling all the Australian batters throughout the series, Bumrah continues to earn their admiration. Marnus Labuschagne, who has faced his share of struggles against Bumrah, remarked, “Bumrah’s bowling has been pretty good every game. He’s relentless. He just bowls a relentless length, attacks the stumps with that perpendicular angle from his action. And, yeah, he’s tough to navigate.”

Commentator Sanjay Manjrekar, praising Bumrah after the fourth day’s play in Melbourne, said, “There’s just no weakness this man has. It’s almost like he is this genie that Indian cricket has brought as a gift—you make a wish, and you get it.”

The way ahead 

Jasprit Bumrah is equally lethal with the ball in both the shorter formats, but it is his red-ball performance that has left everyone speechless. Every cricketer worth his salt would agree that performance in Test cricket separates the men from the boys. A once-in-a-generation player like Bumrah needs to be managed carefully, especially in terms of his workload in Test cricket, as he is single-handedly dismantling Australia’s batting unit in the long series Down Under. 

While Bumrah relishes playing in the shorter formats, he is leaving behind a legacy with his performances in red-ball cricket. If Bumrah and the selectors manage him well, he could continue playing Test cricket for years, while also featuring in important series or tournaments in the shorter formats.

Read More: Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Top 3 spells by India bowlers over last 10 years in Australia