Back where it all began, Jasprit Bumrah flaunts his genius yet again
On 5th January 2018, a little over four years to the day, Jasprit Bumrah made his Test debut during India's first match against South Africa in Cape Town. AB de Villiers had been his maiden wicket in the longest format of the game and he finished with four scalps in the match as India went down in the series opener.
Since then, he has gone on to become India's most lethal weapon with the ball away from home and one of the best pacers in the world.
And today, returning to the same venue, he capped off a surreal display of fast bowling to showcase his rapid ascension in Test cricket as India looked to take an advantage in a crucial series decider.
Dean Elgar
☝️ Dean Elgar
☝️ Aiden Markram
☝️ Keegan Petersen
☝️ Marco Jansen
☝️ Lungi Ngidi
A wonderful bowling performance from Jasprit Bumrah 👏
#India #SouthAfrica #SAvIND https://t.co/bemeRJVGca
He started his exploits late on Day 1 of the third Test, snapping up Dean Elgar's wicket with an unplayable delivery to give India an early breakthrough after having been bowled out for 223.
Elgar had been a thorn in India's side throughout the series, scoring 77 in the 4th innings of the first Test and then an unbeaten 96 to help South Africa chase 240 in the second match.
However, on this occasion, Jasprit Bumrah got the ball to seam in sharply, ensuring that the Proteas skipper had to play at it, eventually drawing an outside edge to give Cheteshwar Pujara a simple catch at first slip.
On Day 2, Bumrah again struck early, and it was another peach.
With the first delivery of the day, he drew an edge from Aiden Markram, but the ball fell short of gully.
He bowled the next one wide outside off and Markram shouldered arms, but the ball jagged back in sharply to crash into off-stump. It was another magic ball from a bowler who has developed a knack of delivering those on a regular basis.
His third scalp of the match saw him get the edge in a little rivalry he has developed with Proteas pacer Marco Jansen.
The two had an exchange of words after Jansen had battered Jasprit Bumrah with short deliveries during the second Test.
After dishing out some of the same treatment to Jansen, Bumrah beat his outside edge and sent his off-stump cartwheeling. A cold stare-down ensued as Jansen walked back.
He then got South Africa's top-scorer, Keegan Petersen, to edge one to Pujara off a length ball before completing his five-wicket haul with the wicket of Lungi Ngidi to help India take a 13-run first innings lead.
But what made the spell truly stand out was not reflected only in the wickets he took, but the way he consistently threatened the batters.
Jasprit Bumrah makes his own luck on tricky Newlands pitch
In his 23.3 overs, Jasprit Bumrah bowled eight maidens and gave away just 42 runs. His economy at the end of the innings read 1.78. He consistently beat the batter on both edges, but for a long time, was not rewarded for his efforts.
His spell at the beginning of the day was especially riveting and he looked threatening with almost every delivery.
Jasprit Bumrah has often had matches where he has not reaped the rewards for bowling well. In the last Test itself for example, he bowled excellently for large parts of his 38 overs across two innings, but returned with only one wicket.
But today was not one of those days as he forced the issue and grabbed his seventh Test five-wicket haul.
FIFER for Jasprit Bumrah! 🔥
The Indian pace spearhead was at his absolute best today 🙌
#India #SouthAfrica #SAvIND https://t.co/wi1NWKuqvf
He was almost robbed off it as Bumrah's bad luck almost caught up to him again.
In his 23rd over, Lungi Ngidi pushed at a delivery and the ball lobbed up but fell just short of mid-on. The very next delivery, Ngidi hit straight back at the bowler, but once again the ball did not carry. Bumrah then had his hat-trick of close calls as he drew the outside edge from Ngidi, only for the ball to fall short of second slip.
Off the first delivery of his next over, Ngidi fended at a short delivery only for the ball to marginally evade the midwicket fielder.
It looked like the five-wicket haul would elude him, but to his delight, a delivery later, Ngidi spooned an easy catch to Ravichandran Ashwin at extra cover off a leading edge.
From his last tour of South Africa, Jasprit Bumrah has now played 27 Tests, picked 112 wickets, including seven 5-fers.
As he walked off the Newlands pitch, raising the ball and putting on a childish grin, he would be entitled to feel that life has come a full circle from when he played his first match under scrutiny as only a white-ball specialist, to now being one of the most feared bowlers in the Test arena.