India’s Legendary Pacer Jasprit Bumrah tops the latest ICC Men’s Test Bowler rankings
By Mahadev Desai

Jasprit Bumrah, has now earned his well-deserved inclusion among the pantheon of legendary pace bowlers.

He was born into a Sikh Punjabi family in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on December 6, 1993. Jasprit lost his father at the tender age of five, and his mother raised him and his sister. He loved playing cricket from early age. Bumrah preferred bowling to batting. He honed his skills by practicing on the concrete floors of his apartment complex. He also practiced with tennis balls, which has helped him bowl lethal Yorkers. When he was fourteen, he joined Kishore Trivedi’s The Royal Cricket Academy in Ahmedabad.

Bumrah made his T20 debut for Gujarat where his impressive Man of the Match bowling performance helped Gujarat win the tournament.
19-year-old Jasprit was signed on by The Mumbai Indians franchise, for the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he soon became a star player.

In 2016, Bumrah received a call-up to the India national team. He made his ODI and T20I debut against Australia at Sydney and Adelaide respectively in Jan.2016; and his Test debut against S. Africa at Cape Town in Jan.2018
Right arm pacer Bumrah, takes few short strides, and with hyper-extended elbow, stiff armed action and unusual point of release makes it difficult to read him. He bowls at an average speed 142 km/h. He clocked 153 km/h during India v Aus.1st Test at Adelaide Oval in Dec.2018! His arsenal includes reverse swing, off-cutters, seam bowling and Yorkers.

Cricket commentator, coach and former Pakistan Team Captain,  Wasim Akram, in January 2019, lauded Jasprit Bumrah; “Jasprit Bumrah has the best and the most effective yorker among fast bowlers playing international cricket now.”

Bumrah’ unconventional bowling style can cause Stress fracture on his lower back. In the past, he has missed out inclusion in the team due to injuries.
He has accomplished astounding 10th 5-wkt. haul in Test Cricket in four countries—S. Africa; England; Australia and W. Indies, and on different pitches! He is the fastest Indian pacer to take 150 Test wkts.

Following his outstanding performance in the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam, Bumrah not only bagged the Player of the Match award; but also  secured the top spot in the latest ICC Men's Test Bowler rankings, marking it the first time an Indian fast bowler has achieved this feat. Bumrah's remarkable bowling prowess, highlighted by his match figures of 9/91 in the second Test, played a crucial role in India's series-levelling 106-run victory over England. Among the praises that poured in for Bumrah and his memorable performance was one from Chris Woakes, who lauded him, “In the last Test match, JB was the standout player. He is a world class player, across all the formats; he is one of the best if not the best at the moment.”

Bumrah’s impressive Career Summary:
Matches Wkts.
Test 34 155
ODI 89 149
T20I 62 74
IPL 120 145
 

He is married to Sanjana Ganesan and the couple have a son.
Bumrah is currently Vice Captain of the Indian team.
Jasprit Bumrah’s trailblazing journey which exemplifies determination, resilience, and excellence will continue, and will no doubt  inspire countless aspiring cricketers worldwide.