The premier pace bowler of India, Jasprit Bumrah, has carried the weight of the side on his lone shoulders during the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. He made incredible contributions with the ball despite losing the series by a 3-1 margin as they have also been disqualified from the race of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2024-25 qualification.
The former captain of Australia, Ricky Ponting, has already praised Jasprit Bumrah as the ‘fastest bowling ever’ in his eyes. Now, the god of cricket, India’s Sachin Tendulkar, joins the veteran to call Bumrah ‘the greatest’ in the five-day format of the game, as none of the Australian batters found it easy to face the fast bowler in their conditions.
The 31-year-old finished the series with the help of 32 wickets in nine innings at an average of 13.06 and a strike rate of 28.37 with the help of two four-wicket hauls and three five-wicket hauls at the best bowling figure of 6/76 in an inning. This is the most scalps by a pace bowler in the BGT series, equaling the record of the off-spinner Harbhajan Singh in 2001.
India’s premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah addressed as ‘the best’ by Sachin Tendulkar
Bumrah has now picked up 205 red-ball scalps at an average of 19.40, the lowest among the bowlers with more than 200 Test wickets at the strike rate of 42 with the help of 13 five-wicket hauls.
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“Commendable performance by Australia to come back from 0-1 down and win the series 3-1. Congratulations to them for winning the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Special mention to @Jaspritbumrah93. “Jas” is just the best in the world.” The former batter of India, Sachin Tendulkar, penned down on ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter).
The pacer led India in the series opener at the Optus Stadium in Perth when their regular leader of the side, Rohit Sharma, was absent due to the birth of his second child. It was a commendable performance from the visitors in both the batting and bowling departments, as the acting captain picked up eight wickets to earn the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
He kept on running in with the same energy and rhythm for the entire series and because he bowled so many overs, it resulted in a back issue for the veteran during the second innings of the fifth and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). A back spasm didn’t allow the bowler to take the field, which saw India lacking energy with the ball in the second innings, as Australia won their first BGT title since 2014-15.
“It’s a little frustrating, but sometimes you’ve got to respect your body, you can’t fight your body. It’s a little disappointing in the end because I probably missed out on the spiciest wicket of the series, but that’s the way it is. Sometimes, you have to accept it and move forward.” The premier pacer of the blue brigade expressed to the official broadcaster at the end of the game.
The right-arm pacer had gone off the field on the second day after he felt a little discomfort and wanted to check if everything was fine as he made his return to the second spell.
The head coach of India, Gautam Gambhir, also lauded the bowler for being a leader in the group.
“I think, he’s led the attack well. He’s bowled a lot of overs. And whenever he’s come on to bowl, he’s done a fabulous job. He’s taken wickets. He’s done everything possible he could from his side. But then he’s been helped a lot from the other end as well.” The former left-handed opening batter of India, Gambhir, reflected.