Adelaide, Australia

Birthday boy Jasprit Bumrah became the first bowler this year and the third Indian seamer overall to complete 50 or more Test wickets in a calendar year. Bumrah unlocked this feat against Australia during day one of the second BGT Test (Day/Night Test) at the Adelaide Oval by picking their opener, Usman Khawaja, caught in the slips on 13. Meanwhile, Kapil Dev and Zaheer Khan are the other two Indians who achieved this.

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While Kapil did it twice (75 wickets in 1983 and 74 wickets in 1979), Zaheer bagged this milestone once (51 wickets in 2002). However, late Australian great Shane Warne topped the chart with 95 wickets in 2005. 

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Bumrah featured in 11 Tests in 2024, missing just one, and despite India playing plenty of games at home this year, Bumrah pips the spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, marking a stunning 2024 for him, where he even won the T20 World Cup in the Americas. 

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Meanwhile, in the ongoing Test, Bumrah shared the new ball with Mohammed Siraj in the second innings, and unlike how it unfolded twice in the previous game, India failed to pick any wicket up front. But soon after, he provided India with the breakthrough; coming over the wicket to the left-handed Khawaja, Bumrah found a neat edge that went straight to the first slip as the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma grabbed it comfortably.

After electing to bowl first in this Pink-Ball Test, India got all out on 180, with Aussie quick Mitchell Starc returning with his best Test figures of 6/48. For the visitors, all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy top-scored with 42. 

Bumrah back to his best

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Bumrah captained India in the first BGT Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth, picking eight for 72 across two innings, including a five-for in the first. Though he remained the ultimate thorn in the flesh for the Aussies, breaking their back in the series opener with early strikes, Bumrah impressed everyone with his leadership skills, helping India win the Test and draw first blood in the five-match marquee series.

With Rohit returning to the playing XI for the second Test, he took over the captaincy hat while Bumrah remains the leader of the pace attack. 

(With inputs from agencies)