Star India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah’s Test credentials have been questioned by former England batter Alastair Cook following his ICC Men’s T20 World Cup heroics. Bumrah played a key role in India’s second successive triumph, finishing as the joint-highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 14 wickets from eight innings at an average of 12.42 and an economy rate of 6.21.
Following India’s victorious campaign, former England cricketer Michael Vaughan hailed Bumrah as the best bowler he has ever seen in world cricket. However, Cook argued that the India speedster does not have many spells where he has run through the opposition in Test cricket.
“I reckon if you put Jasprit Bumrah in England’s team, they win it. He’s the best bowler I’ve ever seen. I started watching cricket properly probably around ’85 or ’86, when I really began to study the game, and he’s the best I’ve seen,” said Vaughan on the Stick to Cricket podcast.
“Is he the best in terms of match-winning spells in Test cricket? Without a shadow of a doubt, he is the best all-format bowler around, I think. I mean, you can safely say that. But has he, like, in a Test match bowled a spell like an 8/15, or is he not that kind of bowler?” Cook asked.
Vaughan countered Cook’s statement by mentioning Bumrah’s remarkable exploits in Australia.
Vaughan responded again: “I’ve seen him a bit in Australia. Some of the spells have been different — that too on flat decks.”
How has Bumrah performed in Tests?
Bumrah boasts the best average in Test cricket among bowlers with a minimum of 200 wickets. The speedster has scalped 234 wickets from 52 matches at an average of 19.79 and an economy rate of 2.77, with 16 five-wicket hauls to his name.
In his career so far, Bumrah has conceded over 100 runs in a match just once, and New Zealand remains the only country where his bowling average climbs above 30. The speedster has been the number-one-ranked Test bowler since October 2024 and was last seen playing against South Africa in the red-ball format.
However, with the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027 being the next major global event, Bumrah is likely to focus more on ODI and Test cricket in the coming year.
