Since his return from injury in mid-2023, Jasprit Bumrah is the only bowler to have picked up at least 100 wickets across formats. (AP)
Jasprit Bumrah’s 200th international outing in Perth during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener could not have been any more special. The seam spearhead, pivotal in India’s 295-run victory, capped off his leadership duties with match figures of 8/72, the best by any visiting fast-bowling captain Down Under.
A repeat in the wickets column in the Pink-Ball Test, starting Friday on his 31st birthday, will place Bumrah atop a special bracket of Test cricket’s bowling metronomes. It is also opportune to review the gradual unfurling of Bumrah’s genius in a spectacular eight-year journey comprising 200 games while battling two major back injuries that could have blighted most quicks in the sport.
Like the magical blade that “only takes in what makes it stronger”, Bumrah’s return from a long injury layoff in 2023 has only seen elevated tenacity in all colours and conditions for India.
Since his comeback after an 11-month hiatus on August 18, 2023, Bumrah has sent down 438.5 overs across 11 Tests, 10 ODIs and 10 T20Is. Only Josh Hazlewood has bowled more overs among pacers in this period, but none have amassed as many wickets as Bumrah. He is the only bowler to record 100 wickets in this 16-month timeline, with his averages and strike rates eclipsing the marks set by his previous version before the injury setback in 2022.
| Bumrah across formats | Mat | Inns | Overs | Wickets | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 5 | 10 |
| From debut (2016) till Aug 18, 2023 | 162 | 189 | 1893 | 319 | 6/19 | 9/86 | 22.48 | 3.78 | 35.6 | 10 | 0 |
| Since Aug 18, 2023 | 38 | 47 | 438.5 | 100 | 6/45 | 9/91 | 15.47 | 3.52 | 26.3 | 3 | 0 |
Toughest nut
It will only take Bumrah nine more wickets this series to cross the legendary Sydney Barnes’ Test wicket tally (188) and no one had taken more wickets than Barnes with a better bowling average. None would have reached as many wickets or more in Tests then with a better bowling average than Bumrah, whose current aggregates stand at 20.06 runs per dismissal. South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada is the only active pacer with more Test wickets (316) and a comparable average (21.53) to Bumrah.
If it wasn’t impressed already, Bumrah is the modern era’s most deadly and efficient all-format wicket-taker. Of the 54 bowlers to have collected at least as many international wickets as Bumrah, none have secured a better average than him (20.80). His career bowling strike-rate (33.3) is only bettered by his sling-man guru, Lasith Malinga (32.8) for 546 wickets.
| Deadly strikers: Bowlers with 400+ international wickets, < 25 average and <38 SR | ||||||||
| Player | Span | Mat | Inns | Wkts | Ave | SR | 5 | 10 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 2016-2024 | 200 | 236 | 419 | 20.8 | 33.3 | 13 | 0 |
| Kagiso Rabada | 2014-2024 | 234 | 286 | 544 | 24.06 | 34.5 | 18 | 4 |
| Waqar Younis | 1989-2003 | 349 | 412 | 789 | 23.7 | 36.6 | 35 | 5 |
| Dale Steyn | 2004-2020 | 265 | 342 | 699 | 23.37 | 37 | 29 | 5 |
Runs are simply hard to come off him, let alone sixes. Bumrah has sent down 2633 deliveries since his return in mid-2023. Only nine of these have crossed the fence on the full for a maximum – six in ODIs, three in T20Is and none in Tests.
It has become almost impossible to hit Bumrah intentionally for a six in Test cricket – the Aussie shores witnessed the last occurrence three years ago. Cameron Green slammed him for a six on January 10, 2021, in Sydney and was immediately snuffed out next ball. He has bowled over 4100 Test deliveries since without conceding a maximum. Only three bowlers – Mitchell Starc (5585), James Anderson (4561) and Stuart Broad (4263) – have had better six-less bowling streaks in Tests in all recorded data since 2006.
| 1-200: Bumrah career progression | |||||||||
| Matches | Inns | Overs | Wickets | Ave | Econ | SR | 5 | 10 | Year |
| 1 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 20 | 4 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 2016 |
| 50 | 50 | 307 | 80 | 20.53 | 5.35 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 2017 |
| 100 | 110 | 963.2 | 185 | 21.32 | 4.09 | 31.2 | 4 | 0 | 2019 |
| 150 | 174 | 1766.4 | 289 | 23.03 | 3.76 | 36.6 | 8 | 0 | 2022 |
| 200 | 236 | 2331.5 | 419 | 20.8 | 3.73 | 33.3 | 13 | 0 | 2024 |
No fast bowler, perhaps, has outwitted the modern bats as much as Bumrah has for these many years. Pick a set of 50 games anywhere from his career graph and the wicket-taking efficiency would stand up to compete with anybody. Never has his bowling average crept above 24. Neither have his strike-rates diminished below 37; both unimaginable feats for bowlers at their peaks.
There isn’t room for many in Bumrah’s crafty workspace. The bowling load in the tricky thirties will begin in Adelaide and the path from 200 to 300 internationals will reveal more shades of this ‘special one.’
I’m Manas Ranjan Sahoo: Founder of “Webtirety Software”. I’m a Full-time Software Professional and an aspiring entrepreneur, dedicated to growing this platform as large as possible. I love to Write Blogs on Software, Mobile applications, Web Technology, eCommerce, SEO, and about My experience with Life.
