Bumrah’s belligerence: Dominating with the ball

BY THE NUMBERS

Three Tests
14 wickets at 20.07. Best figures of 5/64.
63 runs at 21. High score of 34*.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE

Nimble in Nottingham, Leader at Lord’s

In the first Test of the India tour of England, Jasprit Bumrah fell just one wicket short of completing his first 10-wicket haul. His bowling figures of 9/110 in the match put India in a dominating position before rain played spoilsport.

Bumrah rose to the occasion in the final innings of the Lord’s Test when India needed to bowl England out in less than two sessions. He led the pack by removing Rory Burns for a duck in his very first over and then got the all-important wicket of the in-form Joe Root.

But it was the set-up to Ollie Robinson in the final session that sent waves across the cricketing world. Bumrah decided to change the angle and come from around the wicket and the move worked wonders as an off-cutter deceived Robinson who was trapped lbw.

An unforgettable partnership

Bumrah stitched together a match-turning partnership of 89 off 120 balls with Mohammad Shami in the second Test. He remained unbeaten at 34* while Shami got to his second Test fifty that dug India out of a precarious position and eventually won the match for India.

While India suffered a crushing defeat in the third Test at Leed’s, Bumrah showcased why he is one of the best in the business. He once again got the better of Root, who was steaming away on 121, with a ball that seamed in to trample the stumps.

The right-arm pacer has led the Indian bowling this series in terms of the number of wickets. With 14 wickets at an average of 20.07, he has proven he is the kingpin of India’s bowling quartet.

Breaking into the top 10

Before the series began, Bumrah sat at the 19th position in the MRF Tyres ICC Men's Test Rankings for bowlers. It took him just the one match in Nottingham to come up the ranks and jump 10 places to reach the 9th spot.

Although Bumrah slipped one spot after the second Test and held the number 10 spot after the third, he is becoming a strong candidate to challenge the likes of Shaheen Afridi, Kagiso Rabada and James Anderson who stand in his way to enter the top five.