Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah etched his name alongside cricketing legends Kapil Dev and Zaheer Khan as he became the third Indian fast bowler to claim 50-plus Test wickets in a calendar year. Bumrah reached the milestone during the second Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval, dismissing Usman Khawaja with a well-directed delivery that edged to the slips.
Bumrah’s achievement comes 22 years after Zaheer Khan became part of this elite group in 2002 with 51 wickets. Kapil Dev remains the only Indian seamer to accomplish the feat twice, claiming 74 wickets in 1979 and an impressive 75 in 1983. Bumrah’s current Test average of 15.14 this year is the best among Indian bowlers who have taken 50-plus wickets in a calendar year, underscoring his dominance in red-ball cricket.
While Bumrah’s bowling brilliance shone, young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy also entered the record books with his fearless batting in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Nitish has hit six sixes across his three innings in the series, including five against fast bowlers—an Indian record in Tests played in Australia. He surpassed the previous best of three sixes shared by Zaheer Khan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, and Rishabh Pant.
Despite Bumrah and Nitish’s individual heroics, India faced challenges on the opening day of the Adelaide Test. After a promising 69-run partnership between Shubman Gill and KL Rahul, the batting order crumbled under Mitchell Starc’s fiery spell. India collapsed from 69/1 to 87/5 within eight overs, eventually managing only 180 runs, with Nitish’s aggressive 42 providing a glimmer of hope.
In response, Australia gained control with an unbeaten 62-run partnership between Nathan McSweeney (38*) and Marnus Labuschagne (20*). At stumps, the hosts stood at 86/1, trailing by just 94 runs and firmly in command of the match.