India’s star pacer Jasprit Bumrah was on Monday crowned the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year for 2024. This accolade comes after a record-breaking year where Bumrah delivered a career-best performance, cementing his place as one of the greatest Test bowlers of contemporary cricket.

Returning to Test cricket in late 2023 following a long absence owing to a back injury, Bumrah amassed an incredible wicket tally and set multiple records. The right-arm quick was instrumental in home conditions as India registered series wins against England and Bangladesh, and he also rose to the occasion in away conditions in South Africa and Australia.

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Bumrah was far and away the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket in 2024, topping the charts with 71, well clear of second-placed Gus Atkinson of England (52 in 11). He sent down an eye-watering 357 overs in the format, but maintained a phenomenal average of 2.96, breaking the mold in a quick-scoring era of the Test game.

His average across the year was a ridiculous 14.92, and he ended 2024 with an annual strike rate of just 30.1.

Bumrah’s 71-wicket haul makes him just the fourth India bowler to take more than 70 Test wickets in a calendar year, following in the footsteps of Ravichandran Ashwin, Anil Kumble and Kapil Dev.

Across Test history, none of the 17 bowlers to have taken 70+ wickets in a calendar year did so at an average as low as Bumrah’s.

Bumrah’s incredible 2024 haul began during India’s memorable Test win in Cape Town against South Africa, where the pace spearhead was on target with eight wickets across the two innings as India pinned down the Proteas by eight wickets.

Bumrah then went on to bag 19 wickets during the five-Test marathon at home against England, as the hosts prevailed with a 4-1 margin.

However, the seasoned pacer delivered his magnum opus in the high-stakes Border-Gavaskar Series in Australia, where he finished with an incredible 32 wickets from five Tests and was named Player of the Series.

It was during the series Down Under that Bumrah crossed the 200 Test wickets milestone, becoming the 12th Indian bowler to do so.

The 31-year-old set a unique record while achieving the feat, becoming the only bowler in Test history with a minimum of 200 dismissals to have an average less than 20 (19.4).

Among an enviable list of displays, Bumrah’s best in Tests came in the series opener against Australia in Perth. As the visitors started without full-time skipper Rohit Sharma, Bumrah assumed command of the team and led from the front in a famous win.

With Australia having folded India out for 150 on the opening day, Bumrah wreaked havoc with the ball against the hosts, finishing with a five-wicket haul to wrestle a comeback thanks to figures of 5/30. After India set up a mammoth total of 534 for the hosts, Bumrah returned with three more wickets under his belt to cap off a monumental 295-run win, taking 3/42 as Australia suffered their first loss at the venue.