Jasprit Bumrah wreaked havoc in the first ODI at Kennington Oval, registering his career’s best bowling figures — 6-19 to bowl out England for a sub-par total of 110. This was only the second five-wicket haul in ODI for Bumrah, who is also one of the most economical Indian bowlers from recent times.
The player has been so probing throughout his ODI career, that his wicket-taking ability started to suffer, as batters stopped taking undue risks against him. On Tuesday, under an overcast sky, Bumrah got the ball to move both ways and extracted extra bounce from the length band to keep English batters on their toes. Among his six victims, four walked back without opening their accounts.
Let’s take a look at five of the best bowling figures by Indian bowlers in ODI, sequentially:
Stuart Binny – 6/4 Against Bangladesh In 2014
This list is impossible without mentioning Stuart Binny, who achieved a feat eight years ago against Bangladesh in Mirpur. In a rain-affected clash, where the game was reduced to 20-overs-per-side, India was restricted to 105. Even after Mohit Sharma removed both openers, Bangladesh remained in favour to win. But then, Binny came in to attack, changing the fate of the game in just 28 balls, taking six wickets and conceding just four runs.
Anil Kumble – 6/12 Against West Indies in 1993
Before Binny’s magical spell in Mirpur, Anil Kumble held this record for well over two decades. Kumble bowled 6.1 overs, conceded 12 runs against the mighty West Indies, and picked six wickets to roll them out for just 123. Once Sachin Tendulkar got rid of Brian Lara and Kapil Dev struck twice to reduce West Indies to 63/4, Anil Kumble swept the game by picking the remaining six wickets.
Jasprit Bumrah – 6/19 Against England In 2022
Bumrah’s spell against England in London ranks third in the list. He ended it in his first four overs itself, getting rid of Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, and Liam Livingstone to push England into a spot of bother. When he came on for the second spell, he broke the 35-run stand — the biggest of this innings —with a well-disguised yorker to Brydon Carse. India hunted down the total in just 18.4 overs, courtesy a quick-fire half-century from Rohit Sharma.
Ashish Nehra – 6/23 Against England In 2003
Ashish Nehra holds the record for the best bowling figures by an Indian in the World Cup. In what was a must-win game for India, he put up a stunning display of fast bowling to shoot out England for 168, after India set up a target of 251. Nehra ran through the English middle order, dismissing the captain, Nasser Hussain, alongside Michael Vaughan, Paul Collingwood, and Alec Stewart.
Kuldeep Yadav – 6/25 Against England In 2018
England was destined for a daunting target in the first ODI of the series in 2018. Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow provided their side with a blistering start, adding 73 runs in the power play. But Kuldeep Yadav then broke the stand on his second ball by getting Roy caught by Umesh Yadav. In the next over, he dismissed both Root and Bairstow to bring India back into the game. Yadav finished the game with impressive figures of 6/25.
(Featured Image Credit: Jasprit Bumrah/Twitter)
