BRISBANE: Jasprit Bumrah established himself as India’s most successful pacer in Australia in Test format after surpassing the legendary Kapil Dev on Day 5 of the Brisbane Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Wednesday.
Throughout the series, Bumrah has redefined the art of fast bowling with yet another sensational spell in red-ball cricket.
His ascendancy in the longest format of cricket looks as if it is straight out of a fairytale book.
After delivering an inspirational spell in the first innings, returning with figures of 6/76, Bumrah had eclipsed Anil Kumble by hitting the 50-wicket mark. He became the second-highest wicket-taker for India on Australian soil in Test format.
In the second innings, Bumrah upped the ante yet again to land crucial blows in the early stages. The tempo of the breathtaking spell was set when Bumrah went straight through the gate to send Usman Khawaja back to the dressing room.
Marnus Labuschagne became Bumrah’s record-breaking wicket after giving away to his temptations of scoring runs. A moment of lapse in his discipline, and Labuschagne played a loose shot. He tried to slash it away but only found an edge straight to Rishabh Pant.
When Australian captain Pat Cummins led the counterattack by swinging his bat wildly at everything coming his way, Bumrah figured out a way to bring an end to his terror.
Bumrah outfoxed Cummins by luring him to play his shot early and catching a top edge, which went straight into KL Rahul’s hands,
With the dismissal, Bumrah’s tally skyrocketed to 53 scalps at an average of 17.21, eclipsing Kapil’s record of 51 wickets at an average of 24.58. It is also the highest tally by an Indian bowler in a country outside home. Bumrah ended the innings with figures of 3/18.
Legendary spinner Anil Kumble comes in at third with 49 scalps, followed by seasoned star Ravichandran Ashwin’s 40 and Bishan Bedi’s 35.
It turned out to be the last action with a couple of balls later Cummins decided to declare Australia’s innings on 89/7. With Australia’s declaration, India need 275 runs to go 2-1 ahead in the series. (ANI)