Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah has been named as the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year 2024.
After an incredible year in red-ball cricket, Indian bowler Jasprit Bumrah was awarded the 2024 ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year. Due to Bumrah’s outstanding play both at home and away, India was able to maintain their competitiveness in the ICC World Test Championship rankings.
Following a back ailment, the 31-year-old resumed playing Test cricket in late 2023 and produced his highest-ever season haul. He finished as 2024’s top wicket-taker with 71 wickets in 13 games. His domination during a high-scoring period in Test cricket is shown by his astounding average of 14.92 and strike rate of barely 30.1.
With his 71-wicket total, Bumrah joins greats like Ravichandran Ashwin, Anil Kumble, and Kapil Dev as the only Indian bowler to take more than 70 Test wickets in a single year. Interestingly, he maintained an average below 20 (19.4) in a calendar year, making him the only bowler in Test history to collect 70 wickets.
The Indian pacer’s brilliance began with an eight-wicket haul in Cape Town, securing a memorable win over South Africa. He followed this up with a stellar performance in the five-Test home series against England, taking 19 wickets as India triumphed 4-1.
But Bumrah’s greatest accomplishment occurred during the Border-Gavaskar Series in Australia, where he won Player of the Series after taking an incredible 32 wickets in five games. As the 12th Indian bowler to surpass the 200 Test wicket mark, Bumrah accomplished this milestone during this series.
His effort against Australia in Perth during the first Test was his most noteworthy. Bumrah led an incredible comeback, collecting 5/30 in the first innings, even though India was bowled out for 150 on the first day. He struck once more with figures of 3/42 after India had amassed a dominant score of 534. This gave India a historic 295-run victory and dealt Australia their first defeat at the venue.
