Has Jasprit Bumrah Become the Best All-Format Pacer in the World?

In the Indian cricket team, batsmen have dominated for a long time, even in the international formats. Fans have seen generational stars such as MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, and various others, which makes the team dominant when it comes to the batsmen.

But over the past few years, the team’s bowling line-up has also been strong and topping the international rankings, which is possible due to the one and only, Jasprit Bumrah. For India, he has been the only bowler who has been able to deliver consistently across all three formats of the game, putting the team in a good position.

Bumrah has established his name in the list of fast bowling greats because of his slingy bowling action and unmatched accuracy. When it comes to deadly yorkers, Australia has Mitchell Starc, England has Jofra Archer, New Zealand has Trent Boult, and India has Bumrah, whose yorkers come out to be truly unplayable even for the greatest batsmen of all time.

Matches	Innings	Wickets	Average	Economy
205	244	448	20.41	3.69

Helping India to win from situations where fans and team had almost lost hope, to lifting trophies as the Player of the Tournament, he has surely done a lot more than any other fast-paced bowler. We will be analysing whether Jasprit Bumrah is the best all-format bowler in cricket history by taking a look at his impressive performances.

Test Format

Jasprit Bumrah made his Test debut for the Indian cricket team in 2018, during the India tour of South Africa. During the first Test of the series, Bumrah was handed his Test cap, and he went on to take the wicket of AB de Villiers as his maiden Test wicket. He finished the match with the figures of 1/73 and 3/39 respectively, taking the wickets of stars like Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock, and AB de Villiers.

Matches	Innings	Wickets	Average	Economy
46	87	210	19.33	2.77

Throughout his Test career, Bumrah has played 46 matches and taken an impressive total of 210 wickets at an average of 19.33 and an economy of just 2.77 runs per over. Various modern-day greats also mark him as the toughest bowler to face in the Test format, regardless of the conditions being batter or bowler-friendly.

It should be noted that he has played 33 of his 46 Test matches away from India, marking him as a crucial wicket-taking aspect for the team. In 33 away games, he has taken an impressive total of 163 wickets at an average of 19.38, and an economy of 2.75 runs per over, with 12 five-wicket hauls.

Against Australia, he has taken 64 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 17.15, and an economy of 2.57 runs per over. Playing 15 matches against England, he holds 65 wickets at an average of 21.73, and an economy of 2.84 runs per over. However, he is yet to dominate well against New Zealand, as Bumrah holds just 9 wickets in 5 matches at an average of 45.44, and an economy of 2.93.

In the entire World Test Championship, he has played 36 matches and taken 161 wickets at an average of 18.55, and an economy of just 2.81 runs per over. Bumrah also finished as the leading wicket-taker in the BGT 2024-25, with 32 wickets in 9 innings at an average of just 13.06 runs per wicket.

Not only has he dominated in the Test format, but he has also made various records to his name. Bumrah is currently the only bowler in cricket history to have an average of below 20 while taking more than 200 wickets in the format. During the first Test match between India and England at Headingley, he picked a five-wicket haul in the first innings and became the highest wicket-taker by an Asian bowler in SENA countries.

ODI Format

Jasprit Bumrah made his ODI debut away from India, playing his first ODI match against Australia in 2016. During the 5th ODI match being played at Sydney, Bumrah finally got a chance to play for the Indian cricket team. In the match, he picked up the wicket of Steven Smith, which was also his maiden ODI wicket, as he further went on to dismiss James Faulkner, finishing with 2/40 in 10 overs.

Matches	Innings	Wickets	Average	Economy
89	88	149	23.55	4.59

Bumrah has since then been a crucial part of the Indian team’s bowling line-up, bringing up the wickets whenever the team needs them the most. In his ODI career, he has played 89 matches and taken 149 wickets at an average of 23.55 and an economy of just 4.59 runs per over.

Playing 29 away matches, he has secured 55 wickets at an average of 20.30 and an economy of 4.46 runs per over. No team has faced the wrath of Boom Boom Bumrah in the ODI format, as he can rattle through the stumps whenever and wherever he wants.

In 21 matches against Australia, Bumrah has taken 30 wickets at an average of 34.13 and an economy of just 5.26 runs per over. Although he has not secured any five-wicket hauls against them, he is still able to dominate well. Against England, Bumrah holds 17 wickets in 7 matches at an average of 21.88, and an economy of 5.88 runs per over.

New Zealand, once again, remains a team that has not been dominated well by Bumrah, as he has taken 15 wickets in 13 matches at an average of 39.20 and an economy rate of 4.83 runs per over. He has also played a crucial role for the Indian team in the 2019 and 2023 World Cups, playing as a primary bowler with Mohammed Shami.

Playing two World Cups for India, Jasprit Bumrah has been strong with 38 wickets in 20 matches at an average of 19.57, and an economy of just 4.23 runs per over. These stats also showcase that Bumrah is the man for the big stage, who is always ready to perform when his team needs him the most.

T20I Format

Jasprit Bumrah made his way to the Indian team through the T20 format, which makes him the greatest in the shortest format of the game. Playing for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, he impressed the coaches with his bowling skills and unplayable deliveries, which helped him to debut for the Indian team in 2016 against Australia.

Matches	Innings	Wickets	Average	Economy
70	69	89	17.74	6.27

Just like his Test and ODI debut, Bumrah also made his T20I debut away from India. In the first T20I match of the series, he took the wicket of David Warner, coming in as his maiden T20I wicket. Following this, he also dismissed James Faulkner and Cameron Boyce to finish his first T20I match with impressive figures of 3/23.

Ever since his T20I debut, Bumrah has played 70 matches and secured 89 wickets at an average of 17.74 and an economy of 6.27 runs per over. Playing 24 away matches, he holds 31 wickets at an average of 19.58 and an economy of 6.56 runs per over, which are slightly better than his stats at the home ground.

Against Australia, he has secured 17 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 23.76 and an economy of 8 runs per over. His dominance has slayed England’s batting line-up, taking 9 wickets in 5 matches at an average of 9.11 and an economy of 5.34 runs per over. Moreover, he has also performed well against New Zealand, taking 12 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 19.33 and an economy of 6.10 runs per over.

Jasprit Bumrah also played a crucial role for the Indian team in the T20 World Cup 2024 finals, taking important wickets and also maintaining the run rate towards the end. Along with that, he also finished the tournament with the Player of the Tournament award for his outstanding performances throughout. In the T20 World Cup, he has played 18 matches and holds 26 wickets at an average of 14.30.

Bumrah’s Generational Impact

The modern generation of cricket has seen several great bowlers such as Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Kagiso Rabada, Jofra Archer, and many more. But when it comes to clutch situations or times when the team needs a breakthrough, Jasprit Bumrah has always delivered. With his exceptional figures across all three formats, along with an average below 20 in Tests and T20Is, Bumrah is undoubtedly the best all-format bowler for the Indian cricket team.