No Indian bowler has had a better debut year in Test cricket than the young lad from the Gujarat and Mumbai Indians teams.
Rajneesh Gupta explains why.
India have taken a 2-1 lead over Australia in the four Test series and Jasprit Bumrah played the stellar part in India's win with figures of 6/33 in the first innings and 3/53 in the second innings.
It was no surprise that Bumrah was chosen Player of the Match in the Boxing Day game.
Bumrah's match figures of 9/86 are now the best by an Indian pacer in a Test in Australia.
Best match figures by Indian pacers in Australia
| Figures | Bowler | Venue | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9/86 | Jasprit Bumrah | Melbourne | 2018-2019 |
| 8/109 | Kapil Dev | Adelaide | 1985-1986 |
| 8/160 | Ajit Agarkar | Adelaide | 2003-2004 |
| 8/163 | Kapil Dev | Adelaide | 1991-1992 |
It is indeed remarkable the way Bumrah made an impression in 2018, his debut year in Test cricket.
In the 9 Tests he played this year, Bumrah has been India's most successful bowler with 48 wickets.
Bumrah's tally of 48 wickets is the highest by an Indian bowler and the third best by any bowler in his debut year.
Take a look:
Most wickets in debut year in Test cricket
| Tests | Wickets | Average | Best | 5I | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terry Alderman (Australia) | 10 | 54 | 22.62 | 6/135 | 4 | 1981 |
| Curtly Ambrose (West Indies) | 11 | 49 | 23.20 | 5/72 | 1 | 1988 |
| Jasprit Bumrah (India) | 9 | 48 | 21.02 | 6/33 | 3 | 2018 |
| Steven Finn (England) | 11 | 46 | 26.23 | 6/125 | 3 | 2010 |
| Roy Tattersall (England) | 12 | 44 | 26.68 | 7/52 | 3 | 1951 |
| Ted McDonald (Australia) | 11 | 43 | 33.28 | 5/32 | 2 | 1921 |
| Jack Saunders (Australia) | 7 | 42 | 19.31 | 7/34 | 3 | 1902 |
| Dominic Cork (England) | 9 | 42 | 25.31 | 7/43 | 2 | 1995 |
| Stuart Clark (Australia) | 8 | 42 | 17.76 | 5/55 | 1 | 2006 |
He took 5/85 in the game setting up an Indian win. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images
Most wickets by Indian bowlers in debut year in Test cricket
| Tests | Wickets | Average | Best | 5I | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jasprit Bumrah | 9 | 48 | 21.02 | 6/33 | 3 | 2018 |
| Dilip Doshi | 10 | 40 | 24.00 | 6/103 | 2 | 1979 |
| Venkatesh Prasad | 8 | 37 | 22.68 | 6/104 | 4 | 1996 |
| Narendra Hirwani | 4 | 36 | 14.61 | 8/61 | 3 | 1988 |
| Shantakumaran Sreesanth | 7 | 35 | 24.37 | 5/40 | 1 | 2006 |
| Shivlal Yadav | 9 | 32 | 27.19 | 4/35 | 0 | 1979 |
The 48 wickets Bumrah has taken are easily the most by any Indian pacer in his first 9 Tests.
Bumrah went past the tally of 40 by Venkatesh Prasad and Shantakumaran Sreesanth.
Most wickets by Indian pacers in first 9 Tests
| Wickets | Average | Strike Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jasprit Bumrah | 48 | 21.02 | 47.45 |
| Venkatesh Prasad | 40 | 24.23 | 51.90 |
| Shantakumaran Sreesanth | 40 | 27.25 | 48.42 |
| R P Singh | 34 | 33.88 | 52.15 |
| Irfan Pathan | 32 | 30.03 | 61.13 |
| Mohammed Shami | 32 | 36.31 | 60.00 |
| Umesh Yadav | 32 | 32.50 | 46.41 |
