Follow UsOn day one of the first Test against West Indies in Ahmedabad on October 2 (Thursday), Jasprit Bumrah added another milestone to his already illustrious career. The Indian pace spearhead became the fastest bowler to take 50 Test wickets in India in terms of balls bowled, achieving the feat in just 1747 deliveries. Mohammed Shami got there in 2267 balls.
Bumrah reached the landmark in trademark fashion, cleaning up Johann Layne with an unplayable yorker. Earlier in the innings, he had dismissed John Campbell and Justin Greaves, finishing with figures of 3/42 as India bowled out West Indies for just 162 in 44.1 overs.
In terms of innings taken by an Indian pacer to reach 50 Test wickets at home, Bumrah is also the fastest, doing it in 24 innings - a record he now shares with Javagal Srinath. However, Srinath needed more deliveries to get there. Behind them are Kapil Dev (25 innings), Ishant Sharma (27 innings), and Shami (27 innings).
Among the 30 bowlers with at least 50 Test wickets in India, Bumrah stands out statistically. His average of 17 is the best of the lot. The only other bowler with more than 50 Test wickets in India and an average below 20 is former Australian leg-spinner Richard Benaud, who took 52 wickets at 18.38.
What elevates Bumrah even further is his overall Test record. He is the only bowler in the history of Test cricket to have more than 200 wickets at an average of under 20. Following his performance in Ahmedabad, the right-arm quick now has 222 wickets in 49 Tests at an incredible average of 19.74.