Sydney [Australia], January 5 (ANI): ICC Hall of Famer Ricky Ponting has hailed Jasprit Bumrah’s fast bowling as the best he has ever seen from a visiting bowler in Australia, describing it as possibly the greatest fast-bowling performance of all time.
Bumrah’s exceptional display in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Series was pivotal to India’s challenge, as the 31-year-old pacer finished as the leading wicket-taker in the five-match series with an outstanding 32 wickets. His remarkable run also saw him surpass former India captain Kapil Dev to become the Indian with the most Test wickets in Australia, now holding 64 wickets at an average of 17.15, compared to Kapil’s 51 at 24.58.
Ponting, impressed by Bumrah’s consistency and skill, said: “No doubt, it’s probably the best series of fast bowling I’ve ever seen. Yes, the conditions were favorable for fast bowlers throughout the series, but Bumrah made batting look so much harder. He made even the best of the Australian top-order look silly at different points.”
Bumrah, who had captained India to victory in Perth at the start of the series, was forced to miss the final day of the last Test in Sydney due to back spasms. He expressed his disappointment after the match: “It’s a bit frustrating, but sometimes you have to respect your body. You can’t fight your body. I probably missed out on the spiciest wicket of the series. I felt discomfort during my second spell in the first innings.”
In the SCG Test, India won the toss and opted to bat first but was again in trouble early, with the top order collapsing. Virat Kohli (17) continued his struggles against deliveries outside the off-stump. However, key contributions from Rishabh Pant (40 off 98 balls), Ravindra Jadeja (26 off 95 balls), and Bumrah (22 off 17 balls) helped India reach 185 all out in 72.2 overs. Scott Boland (4/31) was the standout bowler for Australia, supported by Mitchell Starc (3/49) and Pat Cummins (2/37).
In their first innings, Australia faced regular wickets despite Bumrah (2/33) leaving the field with an injury scare. India, under stand-in captain Virat Kohli, skittled Australia for just 181 runs, taking a narrow four-run lead. Debutant Beau Webster (57) and Steve Smith (33) showed resistance, but it was India’s bowlers—Prasidh Krishna (3/42) and Mohammed Siraj (3/51)—who kept Australia in check.
With a slender four-run lead, India made a promising start in their second innings through Yashasvi Jaiswal (22 off 35 balls) and KL Rahul (13), who put on 45 runs for the first wicket. However, Boland (6/45) once again wreaked havoc, dismissing India for 157. Pant’s counter-attacking 61 off 33 balls, including six fours and four sixes, was the highlight, but Australia was set 162 to win.
In response, Australia struggled early at 58/3, but Usman Khawaja (41 off 45 balls), Travis Head (34* off 38 balls), and Webster (39* off 34 balls) guided their team to a six-wicket victory. Despite Prasidh Krishna’s efforts with the ball (3/65), Australia reached the target with relative ease.
Boland was named the ‘Player of the Match’ for his ten-wicket haul, while Bumrah, with 32 wickets across the series, walked away with the ‘Player of the Series’ award.