India may have lost the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia, but Jasprit Bumrah has won hearts with his phenomenal bowling brilliance in the five-match Test series Down Under. He absolutely lived up to the hype surrounding his name on the Australian tour.
Team India’s leading pacer delivered one of the best bowling performances ever witnessed in Test cricket during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, leaving former cricketers and cricket experts in awe. The 31-year-old truly dominated the five-match Test series, finishing as the leading wicket-taker with a staggering 32 wickets at an average of 13.06 in Australia.
Jasprit Bumrah’s phenomenal bowling earned him the Player of the Series award in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Jasprit Bumrah’s remarkable bowling performance not only secured him the Player of the Series award but also helped him surpass Indian legend Kapil Dev’s record of most Test wickets taken by an Indian bowler in Australia. With 64 wickets to his name at an exceptional average of 17.15, Bumrah now has the most Test wickets in Australia.
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Notably, Kapil Dev scalped 51 Test wickets in Australia. After the end of BGT 2024-25, Ricky Ponting was quick to praise Bumrah’s performance in the five-match Test series, calling it the greatest display of fast bowling he had ever seen.
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting admitted that conditions in Australia favored fast bowlers, but noted that Bumrah’s ability to consistently make life difficult for some of the world’s best batsmen set him apart from others.
Ricky Ponting praises Jasprit Bumrah’s greatest fast bowling display in Test cricket history
Australian legend Ricky Ponting mentioned that Jasprit Bumrah’s pace, precision and relentless attack left Australia’s top-flight struggling, making them look out of their depth at times during the five-match Test series. With his exceptional performance, Bumrah has once again proven why he is considered one of the most feared bowlers of the modern era.
Ricky Ponting was quoted by ICC: “Without a doubt, it is probably the best series of fast bowling I have ever seen. Yes, they had good conditions, the fast bowlers, for most of this series. But when you watched him (Bumrah) bowl compared to anyone else in the series, it made batting look a lot more difficult. There is also a lot of quality batting in that Australian top order, but it made all of them at different times look foolish.”
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After Ricky Ponting, Michael Vaughan also praised the bowler. The former England captain said India could have had a chance to beat Australia in the fifth Test at the SCG and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 if Jasprit Bumrah had been fit to bowl in the late innings .
It could have been a different story if Bumrah had been fit: Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan believes that if Bumrah had been available to bowl in the second innings against Australia, India could have turned the game around, potentially winning the SCG Test and tying the Test series.
India’s bowling attack was already weakened because Mohammad Shami was unavailable for the tour, leaving Bumrah to shoulder much of the pace bowling burden. However, Bumrah suffered a back spasm and was unable to bowl in Australia’s second innings, resulting in Australia comfortably chasing the target of 162 runs in just 27 overs, securing a six-wicket victory.
Michael Vaughan said on Fox Sports: “They have really fought to back that man Bumrah. Obviously, he’s missing the second inning here on a pitch that offered a lot to the closers. It could have been a different story if Bumrah had been fit.”