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Jasprit Bumrah in Nottingham Test against England, 2021 (Source: AFP)
The star India speedster, Jasprit Bumrah is one of the top match-winning bowlers for India in the Tests. His impact in the Tests can be underscored by the fact that he is the leading wicket-taker for India since his debut in the longest format of the game in January 2018. He is leading the chart with 234 wickets, a difference of just one wicket with former spin legend Ravichandran Ashwin (233 wickets).
Besides this, Bumrah is also one of the two biggest match-winners with the ball for India since his debut. Bumrah has picked 117 wickets in 43 innings of 22 games in the winning cause. He follows Ravichandran Ashwin, who has claimed 155 wickets in 57 innings of 29 games in the winning cause. Jasprit Bumrah has scalped nine five-wicket hauls for India in the winning cause.
Hence, here we’ll have a look at the five best spells bowled by Jasprit Bumrah in the Tests.
Jasprit Bumrah’s five best spells in Tests
6/45 against England - Visakhapatnam Test, 2024
After losing the first Test by 28 runs in Hyderabad, India took on England in the second Test in Visakhapatnam. India won the toss and decided to bat first. The hosts posted 396 runs in the first innings courtesy of Yashasvi Jaiswal’s double century (209).
In response to India’s 396-run total, the Englishmen fell prey to Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling excellence. Bumrah bagged six wickets for just 45 runs in 15.5 overs, including five maiden overs. Later in the second innings, India posted 255 and set a massive 399-run target for England to chase.
Furthermore, Jasprit Bumrah shone once again with the ball in the second innings, picking three wickets for just 46 runs in 17.2 overs, including four maiden overs. On the back of his brilliant performances in both the innings, India won the game by a massive margin of 106 runs to level the series 1-1.
6/33 against Australia - Melbourne Test, 2018
After Australia leveled the series with a win in the second Test, they hosted India in the third Test of the four-match series in 2018. The visiting skipper, Virat Kohli, won the toss and decided to bat first. Cheteshwar Pujara’s century (106) and skipper Virat Kohli’s 82 helped India post 443 runs for the loss of seven wickets before declaring the innings.
Taking over charge from batters, India’s bowling attack was led by the then-young quick Jasprit Bumrah. He went on to break the spine of the Aussie batting attack, picking six wickets for just 33 runs in 15.5 overs, including four maiden overs. Bumrah’s spell played a central role in bundling out Australia at just 151 runs. Later in the second innings, India scored 106 runs for the loss of eight wickets and declared the innings to give Australia a massive 399-run target.
Bumah scalped three wickets for just 53 runs while defending the target. Eventually, India won the game by 137 runs, taking an unassailable 2-1 lead in the four-match series. Jasprit Bumrah won the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his game-changing spell in the Boxing Day Test.
5/54 against South Africa - Johannesburg Test, 2018
In his debut Test series eight years back in 2018, Jasprit Bumrah announced his arrival in a sensational style. Meanwhile, he also took his Test career’s first five-wicket haul against South Africa in the third and last Test of the three-match series. In the previous game at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, the India skipper, Virat Kohli, won the toss and asked his batters to take charge.
India were bundled out at 187 runs in the first innings before Jasprit Bumrah led their counterattack with the ball. South Africa’s response to India’s 187-run total faced a significant dent as Bumrah picked five wickets for just 54 runs in 18.5 overs, including two maiden overs. His five-wicket haul, accompanied by Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s 3/44, helped India wrap up the Proteas by 194 runs.
Furthermore, in the second innings, India scored 247 runs, setting a target of 241 for the hosts to chase. While chasing the target, the Proteas couldn’t go beyond 177 runs and lost the game by 63 runs. Bumrah picked up two wickets in the second innings, taking a total of seven wickets in the game.
6/61 vs South Africa - Cape Town Test, 2024
After losing the first Test in Centurion, the Rohit Sharma-led India took on South Africa in the second and last Test of the two-match series in 2024. The game happened to be a historic two-day Test match, one of the rarest games played ever in the history of the traditional format of the game. The hosts’ skipper, Dean Elgar, won the toss and decided to bat first in his career’s last Test appearance.
The Indian pace attack, consisting of Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah, bundled out the Proteas at the double-digit score of just 55 runs in the first innings. India managed to score 153 runs to take a 98-run lead at the end of the first innings. Later in the second innings, Jasprit Bumrah ran through the hosts’ batting lineup, claiming six wickets for just 61 runs in 13.5 overs.
Eventually, India were given a target of just 79 runs, which they chased successfully in 12 overs, scoring 80 runs for the loss of three wickets and won the game by seven wickets.
5/64 against England - Nottingham Test, 2021
India and England were facing off in the first Test of the five-match series in 2021. England won the toss and came to bat first. India’s bowling attack, led by Jasprit Bumrah’s four wickets for just 46 runs in 20.4 overs, bundled out England at the score of 183 runs in the first innings.
In response, the visitors scored 278 runs courtesy of half-centuries scored by KL Rahul (84) and Ravindra Jadeja (56), taking a lead of 95 runs. Furthermore, Jasprit Bumrah led the Indian pace attack once again and neutralized Joe Root’s century (109) with a brilliant five-wicket haul. Bumrah ended up bagging five wickets for just 64 runs in his 19 overs, including two maiden overs. He claimed a total of nine wickets in this game.
However, the game ended in a draw, but it is still remembered for the way Bumrah led India’s bowling attack and pushed England away from victory in the Nottingham Test.
