Bumrah Surpasses Kapil Dev with Fifth Five-Wicket Haul, Strengthens Reputation as India’s Top Bowler Abroad

Brisbane (Australia), December 15: Jasprit Bumrah continued his dominant run in international cricket in 2024, outdoing legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev in two crucial bowling parameters, further solidifying his claim as India’s premier pacer in overseas conditions.

On Day 2 of the third Test against Australia in Brisbane, Bumrah was the standout performer for India. Despite Steve Smith and Travis Head’s relentless scoring, Bumrah kept picking up wickets. He dismissed both centurions and finished the day with impressive figures of 5/72 in 25 overs, maintaining a solid economy rate of 2.90. Bumrah’s scalps included Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Mitchell Marsh, as well as the two set batsmen, Smith and Head.

This five-wicket haul marks Bumrah’s 10th outside Asia, surpassing Kapil Dev’s tally of nine five-wicket hauls in overseas conditions. Bumrah now has three five-wicket hauls in Australia, three in South Africa, and two each in the West Indies and England. Kapil, by comparison, claimed five fifers in Australia and two each in England and the West Indies.

Bumrah also outdid Kapil in another key statistic: he now has eight five-wicket hauls in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) conditions, surpassing Kapil’s seven in these countries.

Additionally, Bumrah’s remarkable performance has placed him third on the list for the most five-wicket hauls in the history of the ICC World Test Championship, tying with Australian captain Pat Cummins, who also has nine. Only Nathan Lyon (10) of Australia and India’s spin legend Ravichandran Ashwin (11) have more five-wicket hauls in the competition.

Bumrah’s sensational form in 2024 has seen him become the leading wicket-taker in international cricket this year, with 73 wickets in just 20 matches at an average of 13.78 and best figures of 6/45. He has claimed four five-wicket hauls, with all four coming in Test matches. In 12 Tests, Bumrah has taken 58 wickets, the most by any bowler this year, at an average of 15.20.

As for the match, India won the toss and chose to bowl first. After a wicketless start on Day 1, which lasted around 13 overs, India returned on Day 2 refreshed and quickly dismissed Usman Khawaja (21 off 54 balls), Nathan McSweeney (9), and Marnus Labuschagne (12), reducing Australia to 75/3.

However, a brilliant 241-run partnership between Steve Smith (101 off 190 balls, with 12 fours) and Travis Head (152 off 160 balls, with 18 fours) gave Australia significant control. Bumrah broke the partnership, but Australia ended the day strongly at 405/7, with Alex Carey (45*) and Mitchell Starc (7*) remaining unbeaten.