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On Monday, December 30, star Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah rattled through Nathan Lyon’s guard to get him early on Day 5 of the fourth Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Picking the final wicket of the Australian second innings, Jasprit Bumrah went onto etch several records, as he once again finished with a five-wicket haul.
With the final wicket, Bumrah also breached the 30-wicket mark, becoming the first visiting bowler and only the second Indian player to take 30 wickets in a series in Australia. With this epic feat, he joined the ranks of Bishan Singh Bedi, along with joining the likes of Sir Curtly Ambrose, who did the same 32 years ago. Seeing Bumrah perform once again with the ball, former Indian cricketer turned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar hailed him, calling him a “genie”.
He is this genie that Indian cricket have brought as a gift: Manjrekar on Bumrah
Speaking with the broadcasters, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar called Bumrah’s bowling flawless while hailing him as the “genie” of Indian cricket. "There's just no weakness this man has. It's almost like he is this genie that Indian cricket have brought as a gift and you make a wish and you get it. And it's always Bumrah providing it, be it the T20 cricket World Cup or 50 over World Cup, or it's a match like this, crucial game on a page where a lot of the bowlers struggle to get anything out of it. He was getting lateral movement," Manjrekar said.
The 59-year-old further praised the Indian speedster for completing 200 wickets in Test cricket. "He's cleaned up Alex Carey, as if, he's a number 10, 11 batter. He just had two balls in that spell left. You knew he wasn't going to bowl more than two balls, and he nailed Alex Carey there as well. And when you look at the average, I mean, this is unbelievable. We talk about Curtly Ambrose. I had the privilege of playing against Malcolm Marshall. Now those are great names, and an average of under 20 after 200 wickets is just mind-boggling stuff from Jasprit Bumrah,” he added.
Notably, on Sunday, December 29, Jasprit Bumrah became the fastest Indian pacer to complete 200 Test wickets. He reached this landmark in his 85 th Test inning. Moreover, the Indian spearhead possesses the second best bowling average of any series with 20-plus wickets in Australia at 12.38, which is bettered by only Richard Hadlee’s 12.15 with 33 wickets in 1985.
