Jasprit Bumrah bowled a yet another outstanding spell as South Africa batted first in the ongoing Test against India at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The star Indian pacer finished with figures of 5 for 27 off just 14 overs that helped the hosts wrap the Proteas innings in a little over two sessions. This was the sixteenth five-wicket haul for Bumrah in Test matches.
With this fifer, the Ahmedabad-born equalled the record for second-most number of five-wicket hauls among active pace bowlers in Test match
cricket. Bumrah has now joined Mitchell Starc who also has the equal number of fifers in Test, but the Australian has taken 100 games for the milestone. Bumrah, on the other hand, is almost twice as quick, reaching there in the 51st red-ball outing.
Most five-wicket hauls among active pacers in Tests
| Player Name | Country | Wickets | Five-wicket hauls |
| Kagiso Rabada | South Africa | 340 | 17 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | India | 231 | 16 |
| Mitchell Starc | Australia | 402 | 16 |
| Pat Cummins | Australia | 309 | 14 |
| Josh Hazlewood | Australia | 295 | 13 |
Notably, Bumrah has also moved closer to the legendary Kapil Dev in the list of most five-wicket hauls for India in Tests. Kapil Dev, who also captained India to their first World Cup win, retired as a legend for his country, finishing with a whopping 23 five-wicket hauls in Tests. Bumrah has now inched further in eclipsing the landmark set by the Haryana Hurricane.
Speaking of the ongoing Kolkata Test, the Proteas batted first after winning the toss in their first match in India in six years. They started on a promising note, but Bumrah broke the opening partnership, and from there, the wickets just kept tumbling like a pack of cards. Apart from Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj also got a couple of wickets, with spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel getting two and one wickets, respectively.
The Temba Bavuma-led side was bundled out for 159 after 55 overs, as Bumrah got the better of Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tony de Zorzi, Simon Harmer, and Keshav Maharaj in the first innings. As of writing, the Indians have started their first innings with the bat, with openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal facing the South Africans at 8/0 after five overs.
