Melbourne, December 29, 2024: Jasprit Bumrah has joined an elite group of Indian fast bowlers by taking 200 wickets in men’s Test cricket, achieving the feat in his 44th Test match during the ongoing Boxing Day Test against Australia. The milestone came when he dismissed Travis Head, sending him back for just one with a catch at mid-wicket. Bumrah raised his arms in celebration after completing the landmark.
Bumrah’s average of 19.56 is the best in Test cricket history for a bowler reaching 200 wickets, surpassing the previous record held by West Indies legend Joel Garner, who achieved the milestone with an average of 20.34.
“This is unreal. What a bowler. Mind-boggling stuff. Well done, Boom Boom,” former India coach Ravi Shastri tweeted on X.
Bumrah, who made his Test debut in 2018, is also the second-fastest Indian to reach 200 wickets, matching Ravindra Jadeja’s pace. Ravichandran Ashwin remains the fastest Indian, having achieved the landmark in 37 Tests.
Among all Indian fast bowlers, Bumrah reached the milestone the quickest, with Kapil Dev taking 50 Tests to do the same. Globally, Pakistan’s Yasir Shah holds the record for the fastest, reaching 200 wickets in just 33 Tests.
Bumrah took 8,484 balls to claim his 200 wickets, making him the fourth-fastest in history to do so. Waqar Younis holds the record at 7,725 balls, followed by South Africa’s Dale Steyn (7,848) and Kagiso Rabada (8,153).
After reaching this milestone, Bumrah continued to make an impact, taking the wickets of Mitchell Marsh and Alex Carey in quick succession, breaking Australia’s second innings momentum.
“The Greatest of all time is doing what he does best here at the ‘G’… @Jaspritbumrah93 is incredible,” former England captain Michael Vaughan posted on X.
