Indian fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah's status as the world's finest fast bowler has been reinforced by the current ICC Men's Test Bowler rankings, which positioned him at No. 1.
Bumrah rose to the top for the first time after scoring 9/91 in his team's recent series-equalling 106-run victory over England in the second Test in Vizag. With this development, Bumrah became the first Indian fast bowler to claim the top Test position.
Interestingly, the 30-year-old has never finished higher than third despite having 10 five-wicket hauls for his country in 34 Test match outings. His nine-wicket haul earned him Player of the Match honors in the second Test and propelled him three places up the latest Test rankings.
Bumrah’s teammate Ravichandran Ashwin, who has held the top spot since March last year, took only three wickets for India in that match. He fell two places to third in the updated Test bowling rankings, with South Africa pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada staying in the second spot despite missing the Proteas' Test series in New Zealand.
Bumrah, on the other hand, has two five-wicket hauls in Test matches in 2024, with stats of 6/61 against South Africa in Cape Town at the start of the year.
He is only the fourth Indian player - and the first fast bowler - to lead the bowling charts, following Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Bishan Bedi.
However, Bumrah isn't the only Indian player to make an impressive rise up the new ICC rankings. His colleague Yashasvi Jaiswal has also been rewarded for his magnificent double century in the first innings of the Vizag Test against England.
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