December 29th 2024.
In a recent match in Melbourne, Indian fast-bowler Jasprit Bumrah accomplished a remarkable feat by becoming the sixth Indian fast-bowler to take 200 wickets in men's Tests. It was a moment of pure joy for Bumrah as he raised his arms in celebration after dismissing Travis Head for just one run with a flick to mid-wicket.
Bumrah's achievement is even more impressive when looking at the numbers. No other player in the history of Test cricket has reached the 200-wicket milestone with a better average than Bumrah's 19.56. He surpassed former West Indies pacer Joel Garner, whose average was 20.34 when he achieved the same feat.
Making his Test debut in 2018, Bumrah has already become the second-fastest Indian bowler to reach 200 wickets, tied with Ravindra Jadeja. The only bowler to have reached the milestone faster is the recently retired Ravichandran Ashwin, who did so in just 37 innings.
Among Indian fast-bowlers, Bumrah is the quickest to reach 200 wickets, with the legendary Kapil Dev coming in second at 50 Test matches. In the overall list, Pakistan spinner Yasir Shah holds the record for the fastest to reach 200 Test wickets, achieving it in just 33 matches.
Bumrah's impressive record is not just limited to the number of matches played, but also the balls bowled. With 8484 deliveries, he is the fourth-fastest in the history of Test cricket to reach the 200-wicket mark. The top three spots are held by Pakistan's Waqar Younis, and South Africa's Dale Steyn and Kagiso Rabada.
But Bumrah's skill and determination did not stop at just reaching the 200-wicket milestone. In the ongoing Boxing Day Test, he continued his impressive performance by taking two more crucial wickets in just his next 10 deliveries. This put a dent in Australia's second innings batting line-up.
Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri expressed his admiration for Bumrah's achievement, calling him an "unreal" bowler with "mind-boggling stuff". Meanwhile, former England captain Michael Vaughan also praised Bumrah's skills, mentioning him as "the greatest of all time" and "incredible".
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