Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliance earns him ICC Test Cricketer of the Year honour
Xtra Time Web Desk: Jasprit Bumrah has been crowned the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year 2024, becoming the sixth Indian to receive the prestigious honor. Bumrah’s stellar year saw him claim 71 wickets in 13 matches, leading the Test bowling charts by a significant margin.
Bumrah joins the elite list of Indian recipients, including Rahul Dravid (2004), Gautam Gambhir (2009), Virender Sehwag (2010), Ravichandran Ashwin (2016), and Virat Kohli (2018). His win also matches India with Australia for the most players to win this award. Notably, Australia’s Steve Smith remains the only cricketer to win it twice (2015, 2017).
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A record-breaking year
Marking his return to Test cricket in late 2023 after a long injury layoff, Bumrah proved indispensable to India's success. His 71 wickets came at an extraordinary average of 14.92 and a strike rate of 30.1, achieved across 357 overs with an economy rate of just 2.96.
Bumrah’s remarkable performances included leading India's bowling attack in both home conditions against England and Bangladesh and challenging away tours of South Africa and Australia. He became only the fourth Indian bowler to take more than 70 Test wickets in a calendar year, joining legends like Ravichandran Ashwin, Anil Kumble, and Kapil Dev.
Dominating the bowling charts in 2024, India's spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been crowned ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year ????#ICCAwards pic.twitter.com/h8Ppjo2hrv
— ICC (@ICC) January 27, 2025
The standout performance
Among his numerous standout spells, Bumrah’s heroics in the series opener against Australia in Perth were exceptional. As stand-in captain in Rohit Sharma's absence, Bumrah led from the front. India, dismissed for a mere 150 on the opening day, turned the game around with Bumrah’s fiery five-wicket haul (5/30).
India then set a daunting target of 534 runs, and Bumrah returned to claim 3/42, sealing a famous 295-run victory. This triumph handed Australia their first defeat at the Perth venue.
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Dominance in numbers
Bumrah’s 71 wickets placed him well ahead of England’s Gus Atkinson, who finished second with 52 dismissals from 11 matches. Bumrah’s consistency and match-winning performances have solidified his legacy as one of the finest fast bowlers in the modern era.
India celebrates another glorious chapter in its cricketing history as Bumrah's accolade reinforces the nation's dominance in Test cricket.
