Jasprit Bumrah’s significance to India’s bowling attack has been highlighted by Harbhajan Singh in a bold statement during the ongoing Day-Night Test between Australia and India in Adelaide.
Currently, the Indian cricket team is facing Australia in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. On the sidelines of the Day-Night Test at the Adelaide Oval, the former Indian spinner compared Jasprit Bumrah’s impact on the Indian cricket team to that of Virat Kohli, calling the duo the pillars of strength for India.
Harbhajan said that Bumrah’s ability to lead the charge with the ball, much like Kohli does with the bat, is unquestionable. The former Indian spinner also hailed Bumrah’s bowling prowess and what he offers to the national team.
Jasprit Bumrah has the same stature in this Indian team that Virat Kohli has: Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh said in Star Sports ahead of the Day-Night Test in Adelaide: “The greatness of this man is that he can make a move from the front and get another cord band. This is the greatness of Jasprit Bumrah. And this man is Virat Kohli. Many years ago, I said that the way Virat Kohli bats, the same thing Bumrah does in bowling.”
The former World Cup winner has further stressed that Bumrah’s absence would severely weaken India’s bowling strength, just like without Kohli, the batting line-up looks weak, saying the premier pacer is the backbone of the attack. He added that both Kohli and Bumrah are equally important to Team India and have the same stature in the team.
Harbhajan Singh signed off by saying, “Bumrah has the same stature in this Indian team that Kohli has. They have the same quality for this team. If you remove Bumrah from this team, then suddenly the bowling attack of this team will be half. So, Bumrah is the backbone of this team’s bowling attack.”
Why you always need to use Kohli to hype Bumrah? He’s the benchmark for every cricketers of this era, be it anyone. pic.twitter.com/b2LkgSO3FD
— POTT⁷⁶⁵ (@KlolZone) December 6, 2024
Jasprit Bumrah eyes 50 Test wickets milestone against Australia
Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah, who played a key role in India’s dominant 295-run victory in the first Test, is on the cusp of achieving a special fifty against Australia in the ongoing second Test match in Adelaide.
Bumrah had delivered match-changing spells, taking 5 wickets for 30 runs and 3 for 42 in the Perth Test, which took his tally to 40 wickets in just 16 innings at an average of 18.80 against Australia in the traditional format of the game.
Now, Bumrah is only 10 wickets away from reaching the outstanding milestone of 50 wickets against Australia in Test cricket, and he can achieve this feat in the ongoing Day-Night Test in Adelaide.
Virat Kohli aims for 10th century against Australia in Adelaide Test
On the other hand, Virat Kohli had broken Sachin Tendulkar’s record of six Test centuries in Australia with his stunning century in the first Test. It was Kohli’s seventh century on Australian soil and his ninth overall against the Aussies in Test cricket.
Now, the ongoing second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 gives the former Indian skipper the chance to add another to his tally, pushing it into double digits—10 in Adelaide. However, Kohli failed to deliver in the first innings, removed by Mitchell Starc for just 7 runs in the ongoing Adelaide Test.