Jasprit Bumrah sets new record in Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Jasprit Bumrah has created history by becoming the first pace bowler to take 30 wickets in a Border-Gavaskar series. Bumrah sealed the record on Day 5 of ongoing fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) Test, where he took a five-wicket haul. Bumrah's achievement has been hailed as one of the best performances by an overseas bowler in Australia, a career-defining moment.
Bumrah joins elite club of Indian bowlers
As per ESPNcricinfo, Bumrah's feat also puts him in the elite list of Indian bowlers to have taken 30 wickets in a series on Australian soil. He is just the second Indian to achieve the feat after legendary spinner Bishan Singh Bedi, who recorded 31 scalps in the 1977-78 series. Meanwhile, Australia's Craig McDermott is the only pacer to have taken more wickets in a India-Australia Test series (31 in 1991-92). However, this series wasn't knowsn as BGT back then.
Bumrah's impressive bowling average in Australia
Apart from his wicket-taking ability, Bumrah also has the second-best bowling average for any series with 20+ wickets in Australia. His average is an impressive 12.83, only behind Richard Hadlee's record of 12.15 with 33 wickets way back in 1985. This stat further highlights Bumrah's effectiveness and consistency throughout the series.
Bumrah secures 3rd 5-wicket haul in series
Bumrah's MCG performance also saw him register his third five-wicket haul of the series. This puts him on the list of Indian cricket greats such as Bedi, BS Chandrasekhar, and Anil Kumble who have also taken three five-fers on an Australian tour. Notably, Bumrah is the first Indian pace bowler to achieve this feat. At 31, he now shares the record with Kumble for the second-most five-wicket hauls by an Indian bowler in Australia in Test cricket (4 each).
Bumrah equals Asian record, nears Border-Gavaskar Trophy record
Bumrah's three five-fers in this series also put him on par with Pakistani cricket legend Imran Khan. He is now just two wickets away from becoming the leading wicket-taker in any single iteration of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The record is currently held by Harbhajan Singh who took 32 wickets during the famous 2001 series played in India. This puts Bumrah on the brink of another career milestone.
Bumrah sets new strike rate record in Australia
Bumrah has also registered a new record for the best strike rate among all bowlers who have taken 30 or more wickets in a Test series in Australia in the last 70 years, an astonishing 28.2. The achievement places him alongside other cricketing greats like England's John Snow (31 wickets in 1970-71) and New Zealand's Richard Hadlee (33 wickets in 1985-86).
