INDIA captain Jasprit Bumrah scripted quite a few records on Saturday, November 24, as his side took control of the first Test against Australia at Optus Stadium in Perth by taking a lead of 218 runs at stumps on Day 2 with all wickets in the second innings intact.
Bumrah, who took five wickets for 30 runs, picked his seventh five-wicket haul in the SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) countries to equal the legendary Kapil Dev. He also became only the fifth India captain to pick a five-wicket haul in the long format after Vinoo Mankad, Bishan Singh Bedi, Kapil and Anil Kumble. Kumble, India’s highest wicket-taker in Tests, was the last captain of the Asian side before Bumrah to pick a five-fer and it had also come against Australia in Melbourne in the 2007-08 tour.
Bumrah’s extraordinary haul also made him the first Indian pacer and third bowler from his country to complete 50 wickets in the single edition (2023-25) of the World Test Championship. The Indian spearhead also has the second-best average among bowlers with a minimum of 150 Test wickets under their belt. His 20.16 now stands only next to former England bowler Sydney Barnes who has a recorded average of 16.43 (189 wickets in 27 matches). Bumrah now has 178 in 41 matches with one innings to go.
India take 46-run lead in first innings
The captain received worthy support from colleagues Harshit Rana (3 for 48) and Mohammed Siraj (2 for 20) as India bowled out Australia for 104 to secure a vital 46-run lead in the first innings. India were all out for 150 on the first day after deciding to bat first. The hosts resumed from their overnight score of 67 for 7 and lost Alex Carey (21) and Nathan Lyon (5) quickly but Mitchell Starc (26) added 25 runs for the final wicket with Josh Hazlewood (7 not out) to take his team’s total beyond 100.
11th five-wicket haul in Tests for Jasprit Bumrah #WTC25 | #AUSvIND ➡️ https://t.co/yq6im3evpT pic.twitter.com/FQ0CAC9EF0
— ICC (@ICC) November 23, 2024
India then came out with a solid determination as their two opening batters — Yeshasvi Jaiswal (90 not out) and KL Rahul (62 not out) — saw off the day by adding 172 runs, extending their side’s lead to 218. With all 10 wickets remaining intact and the opening duo looking strong, India will aim to set a massive target for Australia to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
South Asians Globally
