Jasprit Bumrah still has a lot to prove in Test cricket, says Pakistan legend Waqar Younis
Despite taking 234 wickets in 52 Tests, Bumrah, according to Waqar, still has some way to go before establishing his credentials as a Test great.
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Former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis believes that while Jasprit Bumrah is in a league of his own in modern-day white-ball cricket, the India pacer still has to prove himself in Tests. Despite taking 234 wickets in 52 games at an average of 19.7 and a strike rate of 42.8, Bumrah, according to Waqar, has some way to go before establishing himself as one of the best in Tests.
“There’s no modern-day bowler of the same calibre as Bumrah with the white ball. Leave out Test cricket. He still has a lot to prove in Tests; he hasn’t played as much. There are plenty of others, like Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. You can’t ignore some of the English bowlers either. But when you talk about T20 and one-day cricket, I feel that in terms of impact, Bumrah always delivers in crunch scenarios. And that’s what matters,” Waqar said on the Shubhankar Mishra podcast.
However, Bumrah’s performances and statistics paint a contrasting picture. In 2018, he became the fastest Indian pacer to claim 50 Test wickets, achieving the feat in just his 11th match. He then reached the 100-wicket mark in his 24th game. In 2019, Bumrah also became only the third Indian bowler to take a hat-trick in Tests. To top it all, Bumrah was named the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year 2024 and finished the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a record haul of 32 wickets in five Tests. Besides, Bumrah has done remarkably well in England, taking 51 wickets in 11 Tests.
Waqar recalls New York 2024
Waqar’s belief could stem from the fact that Bumrah, because of injuries, has not played Test cricket as regularly as the Australian duo. As part of his workload management, he has yet to feature in a Test for India this year and is likely to return for the two-match series in New Zealand beginning next month, with a place in the World Test Championship final at stake.
Then again, Waqar has no doubt that Bumrah is the best in ODIs and T20Is. The India pacer’s match-turning spell against Pakistan in the 2024 T20 World Cup in New York remains fresh in Waqar’s mind. With Pakistan comfortably placed at 80/3 after 14 overs, needing 40 runs off the final six, Bumrah dismissed Mohammad Rizwan, triggering a collapse as India defended a target of 120 to win by six runs.
“Whenever an India captain is in trouble, he always gives the ball to Bumrah. Pakistan had no business losing in New York. The required rate was well under control. That over in which Bumrah dismissed Rizwan proved to be the difference. Impact players are the key players. A top player can motivate others who too feel that we have to match him,” Waqar, who took 373 Test wickets for Pakistan, added.
