India's fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah made history on January 1 by achieving the highest-ever rating points by an Indian bowler in the ICC Test Rankings. He remains the top-ranked bowler with 907 points, going past his previous high of 904, which he shared with Ravichandran Ashwin. This performance also places him joint-17th on the all-time list with England spinner Derek Underwood.

The rankings are led by English seamers Sydney Barnes (932) and George Lohmann (931), who played over a century ago. Other legendary bowlers on the list include Pakistan’s Imran Khan (922) and Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (920).

Bumrah has performed exceptionally well in the Border Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. He has taken 30 wickets in just four matches, making him the best bowler for India in the series. However, despite his great efforts, the Indian team has struggled and lost two out of the four matches played so far.

Fastest Indian pacer to 200 test wickets

In the Boxing Day Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Bumrah achieved another milestone by becoming the fastest Indian pacer to take 200 Test wickets. He reached this landmark in just 44 matches, breaking the previous record set by the legendary Kapil Dev, who took 50 matches.

Bumrah is now the joint second-fastest Indian to this milestone, along with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Off-spinner Ravi Ashwin holds the record, achieving 200 wickets in 37 Tests.

The record-breaking moment came when Bumrah dismissed Australia’s Travis Head, who has been the leading run-scorer in the series with consecutive centuries in Adelaide and Brisbane. Among all bowlers worldwide, Pakistan’s Yasir Shah remains the fastest to 200 wickets, achieving it in only 33 Tests. For fast bowlers, Australia’s Dennis Lillee leads with 38 matches.

Breaking records with exceptional bowling

Bumrah also became the fourth-fastest bowler to take 200 Test wickets by balls bowled, achieving the feat in 8,484 balls. Only Pakistan’s Waqar Younis (7,725), South Africa’s Dale Steyn (7,848), and Kagiso Rabada (8,153) are ahead of him.

Moreover, Bumrah’s bowling average of 19.56 is the best among all bowlers at this milestone. He also broke Kapil Dev’s record for most wickets by an Indian pacer in a bilateral Test series on Australian soil, proving to be a constant challenge for Australian batters.

Bumrah, shortlisted for the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year and Test Cricketer of the Year awards, continues to showcase why he is one of the best in the world.