Former Indian fast bowler Ashish Nehra praised Jasprit Bumrah for his outstanding performance in the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test, where India secured a memorable 295-run victory against Australia in Perth. In the absence of Rohit Sharma, Bumrah led the team brilliantly and delivered exceptional match figures of 8/72 with the ball.
Thanks to Bumrah’s sensational display, India took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. Interestingly, the first Test coincided with the IPL 2025 mega auction. As the head coach of Gujarat Titans (GT), Nehra commented on Star Sports via Crictoday that if Bumrah had not been retained by Mumbai Indians (MI), he would have fetched a record-breaking price at the auction.
For those who may not know, MI retained Bumrah for ₹18 crores before the IPL 2025 auction. The star pacer continued his brilliance in the previous IPL season, taking 20 wickets in 13 matches at an average of 16.80 and maintaining an economy rate of under 6.50.
Bumrah Regains No.1 Spot in ICC Test Rankings
Jasprit Bumrah’s performance in the Perth Test helped him reclaim the No.1 position in the ICC Men’s Test bowler rankings, overtaking South African pacer Kagiso Rabada. Bumrah’s five-wicket haul in the first innings marked his 11th in just 41 Test matches and his second in Australia. At the age of 30, he holds an impressive Test bowling average of 20.06, second only to England’s Sydney Barnes among bowlers with at least 150 wickets.
The Perth victory was Bumrah’s first as a Test captain, following the team’s loss under his leadership during the fifth and final Test against England in 2022. However, Rohit Sharma is set to return as captain for the second Test in Adelaide, starting Friday, December 6.
