Star Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah has become the sixth Indian cricketer to bag the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year award after having an exceptional year in 2024 where he took 71 wickets in 13 Test matches.
Bumrah is the sixth Indian to achieve this after Rahul Dravid (2004), Gautam Gambhir (2009), Virender Sehwag (2010), Ravichandran Ashwin (2016), and Virat Kohli (2018).
With Bumrah’s award, India equaled Australia’s record for the highest number of players receiving the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year award. Steve Smith (2015, 2017) is the only player to have achieved this recognition two times in his career.
Bumrah ended 2024 as the top wicket-taker in Test cricket, leading the list with 71 wickets—significantly ahead of England’s Gus Atkinson, who secured 52 wickets in 11 games.
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Bumrah bowled an impressive 357 overs in the format while achieving an outstanding economy rate of 2.96, surpassing expectations in an era known for rapid scoring in Tests. Bumrah’s bowling average stood at an astonishing 14.92 ending 2024 with an astonishing strike rate of merely 30.1.
His haul of 71 wickets made him the fourth Indian bowler to achieve over 70 Test wickets in a single calendar year, joining the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Anil Kumble, and Kapil Dev.
Among various remarkable performances, Bumrah’s finest showing in Tests occurred during the series opener against Australia in Perth. After Australia bowled out Team India for a mere 150 on the first day, Bumrah led an impressive comeback with the ball, taking five wickets and finishing with figures of 5/30.
