Jasprit Bumrah took his 31st wicket in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series in Australia on Friday, which put him level with spin-bowling legend Bishan Singh Bedi for the record of most wickets by an Indian bowler in a single away Test series.
Bumrah, who has taken the five-Test BGT by a storm, has carried India’s hopes almost entirely on his shoulder, as the visitors entered the concluding Test of the series in Sydney with the series yet to be decided.
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Australia, who lead 2-1, need a win or a draw to secure the trophy for the first time in 10 years, while India need a win to make it 2-2 and retain the BGT as the previous edition’s winners.
Bumrah’s record-equalling wicket came off the last ball of the opening day at the Sydney Cricket Ground, as he induced an edge from opener Usman Khawaja (2) and the catch was safely taken by KL Rahul in the slips.
Australia ended the day at 9 for 1, after bowling India out for 185.
Bumrah is now just a wicket away from going past Bedi, who took 31 wickets in five Tests on India’s tour of Australia in 1977-78.
Here’s the list of top five Indian bowlers with most wickets in a Test series away from home:
1. Jasprit Bumrah: 31 wickets* (vs Australia, 2024-25)
2. Bishan Singh Bedi: 31 (vs Australia, 1977-78)
3. Bhagwath Chandrasekhar: 28 (vs Australia, 1977-78)
4. Subhash Gupte: 26 (vs West Indies, 1952-53)
5. Kapil Dev: 25 (vs Australia, 1991-92)
The premier India pacer is also on the verge of breaking the record for most wickets by a bowler in a single edition of the BGT. That record is at the moment in the name of former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.
Harbhajan took 32 wickets in just three Tests in the famous BGT series during Australia’s tour of India in 2001.
Bumrah is also chasing the overall record for India (home or away) in a Test series. He is just five wickets away from breaking the record of Bhagwath Chandrasekhar, who took 35 wickets during England’s tour of India in 1972-73.
Bumrah’s mind-blowing numbers in the ongoing BGT so far read 31 wickets at an average of 12.64 and strike rate of 27.74. It includes three five-wicket spells and a best of 6 for 76.
