Adelaide: Jasprit Bumrah became the only third Indian player to take 50+ Test wickets in a calendar year. Bumrah achieved the significant feat on the opening day of the second Test at the Adelaide Oval here on Friday, December 6, 2024.
Bumrah joined the elite list of former India skipper Kapil Dev and legendary pacer Zaheer Khan who have picked up over 50 Test wickets in a calendar year.
Indian pacers to take 50+ Test wickets in a calendar year :-
— Rhitankar Bandyopadhyay (@rhitankar8616) December 6, 2024
Kapil Dev in 1979
Kapil Dev in 1983
Zaheer Khan in 2002
Jasprit Bumrah in 2024 (joins today)#AUSvIND #PinkBallTest
Kapil Dev holds the record for the highest number of wickets taken by Indian pacers in a single year, with an impressive total of 75 Test wickets in 1983, followed closely by 74 wickets in 1979. Zaheer Khan ranks third, having claimed 51 wickets in 2002. Jasprit Bumrah has also made a mark with 50 Test wickets, placing him among the top bowlers for the year. However, he still has a significant way to go to match Shane Warne's outstanding record of 96 wickets in a calendar year, which he achieved in 2005.
50th WICKET FOR JASPRIT BUMRAH IN TESTS IN 2024 🥶 pic.twitter.com/L1sDnVRSJZ
— Shiva Gurjar Dausa 🤳 (@Shivachechi_) December 6, 2024
Bumrah is currently leading the all-format wickets chart in 2024, with 65 dismissals in 19 matches.
In 2024, Australia's opener Usman Khawaja became Jasprit Bumrah's 50th Test wicket. Bumrah achieved this milestone during his 11th Test of the year. Bowling with the pink ball under lights, he delivered a steep bouncer on a good length outside the off-stump. Khawaja, unable to resist the temptation, poked at the ball and edged it to Rohit Sharma at first slip.
Earlier, Bumrah led the Indian cricket team for the second time in Tests. He captained India to a historic win in the first Test against Australia of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in Perth, where he finished the match with 8/72. These are also the best figures by a visiting fast-bowling captain in Test history.
