Jasprit Bumrah is one of the best bowlers cricket has ever celebrated. He is the lone warrior for Team India for leading from the front and breaking records that have been held by 90s era bowlers.
He has been ruling in the SENA countries as well, and recently in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, he equalled Kapil Dev’s record in taking 12 five-wicket hauls in SENA countries, achieving the feat in just 34 matches, where Kapil Dev acheived this feat in 66 matches.
Comparative Analysis: Jasprit Bumrah vs Elite Fast Bowlers
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Jasprit Bumrah’s incredible feats in SENA nations firmly establish him as an elite fast bowler in the annals of Test cricket history, consistently overstepping or equaling the best of well-established legends.
Top Asian Wicket-Taker in SENA: He is the most wicket-taking Asian bowler in SENA nations with 147 wickets, having broken the record of the great Wasim Akram (146 wickets) very recently.
Others in this list among top Asian pacers are Anil Kumble (141 wickets) and Ishant Sharma (130 wickets). This feat highlights his sustained capability to perform under circumstances that have long puzzled subcontinental fast bowlers, positioning him in a league of his own among Asian pacers.
Efficiency in Five-Wicket Hauls: Bumrah has picked up 12 five-wicket hauls overseas Tests, a record which is equal to Kapil Dev’s, yet he did it in much fewer matches (34 Tests for Bumrah compared to 66 Tests for Kapil Dev). He is also the first Indian bowler to record 10 five-wicket hauls in SENA countries.
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This incredible efficiency adds to his instant and authoritative contribution in matches, showing an improved proportion of game-changing performances than his great predecessors.
Exceptional Bowling Average: In all bowlers who have taken 150 wickets at SENA venues in the 21st century, only South Africa’s Vernon Philander (20.84) possesses a slightly better average than Bumrah’s 20.88.
Also, his overall Test average of 19.33 is the highest among all bowlers with 200+ Test wickets. Such a remarkable average tells us that his wickets are not just amassed but usually taken at the time of necessity against the biggest of teams, indicating his capability to regularly tear apart batting lineups.
Bumrah’s higher statistics, especially his ability to reach landmarks in fewer games, and his exceptional average in SENA conditions, make him a special force, arguably more effective on a per-Test basis than most of his peers today and some legends of the past, in this difficult context. The comparisons with legends such as Wasim Akram and Kapil Dev are important in this assessment.
Bumrah’s overall wickets are truly impressive, but the speed at which he is accumulating these wickets in SENA nations (150 wickets after fewer Tests than Akram, or twelve fifers away in half the Tests of Kapil Dev) suggests he is far more effective.
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