Jasprit Bumrah stood out as a key player in India’s bowling lineup, grabbing his 14th five-wicket haul during the first innings of the first Test against England in Leeds on Sunday. This happened even though his bowling had four dropped catches. It’s worth noting that Bumrah won’t be playing all five Tests due to workload management, as announced by BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
While India has five other pace bowlers in the squad, Bumrah’s skill set is truly in a league of its own, which was evident in this match. Sunil Gavaskar and Cheteshwar Pujara even asked Bumrah’s wife, Sanjana Ganesan, who’s a well-known sports commentator, to persuade him to play all five Tests. When she brought it up with him, Bumrah had his own response.
His excellent bowling helped India edge ahead by just six runs after England was bowled out for 465 before the second session ended. Since 2024, Bumrah has been a vital player for India, claiming 78 wickets at an average of 15.07 in Tests, including six five-wicket hauls. In comparison, the rest of India’s fast bowlers managed only 80 wickets at an average of 33.48, with just one five-wicket haul.
Bumrah showed once again that he can carry the team on his own. With this latest performance, he matched the legendary Kapil Dev by recording 12 five-wicket hauls in away Tests—though Bumrah achieved this in nearly half the matches, 34 compared to Kapil’s 66. His record includes five four-wicket hauls in Australia, three in both England and South Africa, and two in the West Indies, with just two of his top performances being in India.
This marks Bumrah’s 10th five-wicket haul in SENA nations, making him the first Indian to reach that milestone. If he gets two more, he’ll surpass Wasim Akram’s record of 11 SENA five-wicket hauls. Overall, Bumrah has taken 210 Test wickets in just 46 matches at an average of 19.33 and an economy rate of 2.77, with his best figures being 6 for 27.