Jasprit Bumrah continues to produce match-defining moments and spells, and with that, his bowling average continues to remain in that mythical under-20 mark.

The spearhead Indian speedster rocked the visiting South African batsmen on day 1 of the India VS South Africa Test series 2025, with a splendid bowling display in Kolkata on Friday.

South Africa, the ICC World Test Champions, went from being 57/0 to 159 all-out, with Bumrah taking five of the 10 wickets to fall. Bumrah, with no surprise, was the man who broke South Africa’s 57-run opening stand.

He dismissed both openers, Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram, in the first session. In the second session, he got rid of Tony de Zorzi. All three of them had gotten starts, with their scores being between 20 and 35, but Bumrah ensured none of them converted their starts.

He returned in the third session to clean up the absolute residual of South Africa’s innings, blasting out Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer in the same over to seal his five-wicket haul. That was Bumrah’s 16th five-wicket haul in Test cricket, and he went past Ravindra Jadeja’s tally of 15 Test five-fers.

Bumrah now sits at the No. 5 spot for the most five-wicket hauls for India in Test cricket, jointly with former spinner Bhagwath Chandrasekhar, who also claimed 16 five-fers.

Among pacers, only Kapil Dev, with 23 five-wicket hauls, has taken more Test five-fers for India than Bumrah. The top three spots are occupied by spinners.

Who has taken the most five-wicket hauls for India in Test cricket?

With 37 five-wicket hauls, R Ashwin holds the record for the most five-fers in Test cricket for India. He is followed by Anil Kumble with 35 five-fers and Harbhajan Singh with 25 five-wicket hauls.

Top 5 Indian Bowlers With Most Five-Wicket Hauls In Test Cricket:

1. R Ashwin – 37


2. Anil Kumble – 35


3. Harbhajan Singh – 25


4. Kapil Dev – 23


5. Jasprit Bumrah, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar – 16


6. Ravindra Jadeja – 15

(Date accurate until November 14, 2025)

Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah’s average following his 5/27 against South Africa in Kolkata stands at an unbelievable 19.52. His bowling average is already the best in Test cricket’s history among bowlers who have taken at least 200 Test wickets; in fact, he is the only bowler with an average below 20 on this list.

Further, currently, with 231 wickets, Bumrah has the 11th most wickets for India in Test cricket. He is likely to break into the top 10 soon, with the 10th-placed Javagal Srinath only five wickets ahead of Bumrah.

Meanwhile, India bundled South Africa for 159 in their first innings in IND vs SA 1st Test at Eden Gardens. Apart from Bumrah’s five-fer, Siraj and Kuldeep took two wickets each, and Axar picked up one scalp.

Playing XIs: IND vs SA 1st Test

India: KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant(wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Shubman Gill(c), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Dhruv Jurel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj

South Africa: Wiaan Mulder, Ryan Rickelton, Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma(c), Marco Jansen, Kyle Verreynne(wk), Tony de Zorzi, Corbin Bosch, Simon Harmer, Tristan Stubbs, Keshav Maharaj

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