Jasprit Bumrah picks his best moment in Test cricket; says journey has just begun

Jasprit Bumrah’s rise in international cricket, especially since his Test debut last year in South Africa, has been phenomenal. The 25-year-old has been so consistent with his delivery arm irrespective of the surface that it will be no exaggeration to call him the ‘Virat Kohli of India’s bowling attack’. The bowler recently completed a tally of 50 wickets in red-ball cricket, becoming one of the fastest in world cricket, and also picked a hat-trick against the West Indies in Jamaica. It was the first hat-trick by an Indian bowler in the format in 13 years.

En route to putting 13 scalps in his kitty from just two Tests in the Caribbean series that India won 2-0, Bumrah took two fifers and that raised his number of five-wicket hauls in 12 Tests to as many as five. The bowler, who averages less than 20 in whites, however, picked recently the moment that stands out for him and it was his maiden fifer.

It was in Johannesburg in his third Test last year that he had picked five for 54 to help India win the match against South Africa. Jasprit Bumrah was ecstatic and felt that nobody could snatch the feat from him. The fact that he treasures Test cricket also made it even more special.

No one could take my first Test fifer away from me

“For me, Test matches was a big thing, so getting my first Test fifer (five-wicket haul), which I got in Johannesburg playing in my first series… so I was happy and then the moment I got my fifth wicket (I was like), now I have got a Test fifer and no one can take it away from me and that was the best moment of my Test career,” NDTV Cricket cited reports as quoting Bumrah.

Jasprit Bumrah was initially seen only as a limited-overs specialist (he has 154 wickets in 58 ODIs and 42 T20Is together) but his dream came true when he made an equally impressive mark in the red-ball version.

“For me, Test cricket was very important and I always wanted to play Test cricket and didn’t want to be a cricketer who has played (only) T20s and ODIs. I gave a lot of importance to Test cricket…I always wanted to make a mark in Test cricket. The journey has just started,” the 25-year-old concluded.

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