NEW DELHI: India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah continued his red-hot form by picking up his 14th five-wicket haul during the first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds, on Sunday — a feat made more impressive by the fact that four catches were dropped off his bowling. His brilliance helped India edge ahead with a slender six-run lead as England were bowled out for 465 in the second session.However, despite his heroics, Bumrah will not feature in all five Tests of the series. BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed that Bumrah’s workload will be managed across the series to preserve his fitness.Bumrah has been in sensational form in 2024, claiming 78 wickets at an astonishing average of 15.07, with six five-wicket hauls. In stark contrast, all other Indian pacers combined have taken 80 wickets at 33.48 with just one five-for in the same period.Such has been Bumrah’s impact that cricketing greats Sunil Gavaskar and Cheteshwar Pujara even made a lighthearted request to his wife, sports broadcaster Sanjana Ganesan, asking her to convince him to play the full series.With this latest effort, Bumrah has equaled Kapil Dev’s record of 12 five-wicket hauls in away Tests — but achieved it in just 34 matches compared to Kapil’s 66.His overseas dominance includes five four-wicket hauls in Australia, three each in England and South Africa, and two in the West Indies. Remarkably, only two of Bumrah’s 14 five-wicket hauls have come on Indian soil.
He also became the first Indian bowler to take 10 five-wicket hauls in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia). He is now just two behind Pakistan legend Wasim Akram, who leads with 11 such hauls in those nations.Overall, Bumrah has 210 wickets in 46 Tests at an outstanding average of 19.33 and an economy rate of 2.77. His best Test bowling figures remain 6 for 27.While India have five other pacers in the squad, Bumrah’s recent performances underline just how irreplaceable he is — even as the team looks to balance workload with long-term sustainability.
