Jasprit Bumrah etched his name in the annals of Indian cricket history on Friday, becoming the sixth Indian fast bowler to claim 400 international wickets. The milestone was achieved during the first Test match against Bangladesh at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Bumrah’s achievement came with three crucial wickets during the second session of play. He first dismissed Shadman Islam for a meager 2 runs, knocking over his stumps with a delivery that moved back into the batsman. Later, in the 13th over, he trapped Mushfiqur Rahman leg-before-wicket for 8 runs, with KL Rahul taking a sharp catch at slips. Returning for his second spell, Bumrah struck again, removing Hasan Mahmud for 9 runs, with Virat Kohli taking a comfortable catch at slips.
Bumrah’s achievement is a testament to his relentless pace and ability to extract movement off the pitch, making him a formidable force in international cricket. He now joins an elite group of Indian pace legends, including Kapil Dev (687 wickets), Zaheer Khan (597 wickets), Javagal Srinath (551 wickets), Mohammed Shami (448 wickets), and Ishant Sharma (434 wickets), who have all reached this milestone. It’s noteworthy that Bumrah has achieved this feat in a relatively shorter span of 227 innings, compared to his predecessors.
Earlier in the day, India had been bowled out for 376 runs, thanks to a remarkable 199-run partnership for the seventh wicket between Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, which rescued the hosts from a precarious 144/6. This innings displayed India’s resilience and helped them build a strong foundation for a potential victory in the first Test.