Pacer Bumrah on way to becoming all-time great

It has become crystal clear over the last few years that Jasprit Bumrah would end up as one of the best fast bowlers the game has ever seen. On Sunday, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, he firmed up the general perception further with a tangible statistical milestone — the Indian pacer became the first bowler ever in Test cricket to claim 200 wickets at an average of under 20. He has picked up 200 Test scalps giving just 19.38 runs per wicket. If that doesn’t sound impressive enough, just look at the names that follow him on the list of fast bowlers having the lowest Test averages — the great Malcolm Marshall (20.94), Joel Garner (20.97) and Curtly Ambrose (20.99).

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Ahead of the Australia series, Bumrah had done enough to establish himself as a modern day great. With his breathtaking performance in this series, he has taken giant strides towards cementing his place in the league of all-time great fast bowlers. Out of the total 56 Australian wickets that have fallen so far in four Test matches, Bumrah has picked up 29, more than 50 per cent, at a strike rate of 29.10 and an average of 13.24. Bumrah has single-handedly kept India alive in the series, as far as bowling is concerned.

Even as the numbers are incredible, they will fall short of revealing how dominant Bumrah has been in this series. From the first Test in Perth to the fourth in Melbourne, he has made the Australian batters dance like a cat on a hot tin roof with his impeccable craft. Even on Sunday, it was his splendid four-wicket haul that kept India in the game despite conceding over a 100-run first innings lead to Australia.

Such has been his dominance in the series that even the hard-to-please Australians are praising him. Darren Lehmann, the former Australian cricketer and coach, has called Bumrah the best fast bowler at the moment. Michael Vaughan, a former England skipper, goes even further and calls him the ‘Greatest of All Time’.