December 6 is a special day where many cricketers (past and present) have been born. One of the most prolific cricketers to have graced the earth on this day is Indias’ prime force in pace-bowling, Jasprit Bumrah. The right-arm pacer turned 26 years old on Friday. Since making his debut, Jasprit Bumrah has gone on to make things count over the last few years.
The number one ODI bowler in the world has excelled across formats and is a go-to option for India’s captain Virat Kohli. The talented customer is currently recovering from an injury. After the successful Test series against West Indies post the 2019 World Cup, Jasprit Bumrah missed out on the series against South Africa and Bangladesh.
🔹 12 Test matches
🔹 5 Test five-wicket hauls
🔹 103 ODI wicketsHappy birthday @Jaspritbumrah93, what has been your favourite Bumrah moment? pic.twitter.com/HM44iCMmIp
— ICC (@ICC) December 6, 2019
The pacer is on his way to gaining full fitness and wasn’t named in the limited-overs squad against West Indies. One expects him to make a return to the side for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka (T20Is) and Australia (ODIs) next month. With India’s next Test assignment set to be held in February 2020 against New Zealand, Jasprit Bumrah will be aiming to get back in shape and make his presence felt in the limited-overs cricket prior to that.
Bumrah’s stock is huge and he is someone that has continuously taken the mantle to shine on a consistent basis for India. His presence lifts up the side, with India being blessed with a quality of pacers in the ranks.
On his 26th birthday, we look at his career-defining moments in the game.
Jasprit Bumrah has gone on to become a limited-overs hero
The talented Bumrah made his debut for India in 2016 in limited-overs cricket. Since then he has gone on to become one of the leading pace-bowlers in the world. His variety, mix of length and line and range of deliveries have made life difficult for batsmen. We have seen his impact time and time again in white-ball cricket.
In 58 ODIs, the prolific bowler has claimed 103 scalps at an average of 21.88. When you look at his economy-rate, it is as good you can get (4.49). That highlights the respect he commands in the format. He had an excellent ICC World Cup 2019 for India and finished with 18 scalps from nine matches.
He was the highest wicket-taker for India and fourth overall.
The fast bowler, who can generate both pace and bounce, has also taken 51 scalps in 42 T20I matches. Bumrah has an economy-rate of 6.71 in the shortest format. He is the second-highest wicket-taker for India in T20Is.
Notably, Jasprit Bumrah is the second-fastest to 100 ODI wickets among Indian bowlers (57 matches). He is also the second-fastest to 50 T20I wickets for India. He achieved the mark in 41 matches. Recently, wrist-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (34 matches) surpassed his mark. Jasprit Bumrah was the third-highest ODI wicket-taker in 2017.
Jasprit Bumrah has achieved great heights in Test cricket
He made his Test debut last year in the three-match series against South Africa. Since then, the bowler has gone on to achieve 62 wickets in 12 just matches. Notably, he went on to claim 48 Test scalps in 2018.
That saw him be the fourth-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket last year. He also finished as the leading wicket-taker for India to cap off a brilliant debut year in the longest format.
In 2019, the talented pacer claimed 14 scalps in Tests. Meanwhile, 13 of those wickets came against West Indies away from home. Meanwhile, he is yet to play a Test on home soil and all of his wickets have come outside the sub-continent. That is tremendous stuff from the bowler. This shows how crucial he will be as India’s journey progresses in the ICC World Test Championship.
Two of India’s series is away against New Zealand and Australia. And Jasprit Bumrah is lethal away from home.
Bumrah was unplayable in West Indies, claimed a hat-trick
The right-arm fast bowler holds a special record of being the first Indian and Asian to claim a fifer in South Africa, England, Australia, and West Indies. This is magical numbers for any bowler in Test cricket.
Jasprit Bumrah stats read 5/7 versus West Indies in August. That ended up being the cheapest five-wicket haul by an Indian in Test cricket history. The pacer also became the quickest Indian pacer to claim a fifer (5.5 overs against West Indies). Interestingly, the enigmatic bowler is only the third Indian after Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan to claim a Test hat-trick.
He’s also just the third bowler to claim a Test hat-trick in West Indies after the likes of Jermaine Lawson and Matthew Hoggard. JB is also the second Asian after former Sri Lankan bowler Nuwan Zoysa to claim a Test hat-trick outside Asia. The wicket-taking sensation became the 44th cricketer to claim a hat-trick as well.
Bumrah has left his mark in the IPL
The pacer has managed to clinch four Indian Premier League (IPL) trophies with Mumbai Indians. He made his debut in IPL 2013 and claimed 3/32 in just his first match of the league against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The last two seasons saw him not get many chances.
The turning point came in IPL 2016. In the last four seasons, he has gone on to dominate the show for the franchise in the global T20 league. Bumrah dominated the show in IPL 2017 after managing to rack up 20 scalps. That played a role in Mumbai winning their third IPL title.
Last season, he managed to claim 19 wickets and helped MI win their fourth honor.