"If Bumrah had come to the mega auction, even a purse of ₹520 crore would have not been enough for the franchises" - Ashish Nehra
Former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra hailed Jasprit Bumrah for his heroics in the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test as he helped India complete a memorable 295-run win against Australia at Perth. Leading the side in Rohit Sharma's absence, Bumrah marshaled the troops in style and produced match figures of 8/72 with the ball.
His sensational display meant Team India took a 1-0 series in the five-match series.
The first Test coincided with the IPL 2025 mega auction and as the Gujarat Titans (GT) head coach, Nehra felt Bumrah would have gone for a record price had he not been retained by Mumbai Indians (MI).
Nehra told Star Sports via Crictoday:
"It was good to see a captain leading from the front knowing what happened in the previous series against New Zealand. If Bumrah had come to the mega auction, even a purse of INR 520 crore would have not been enough for the franchises."
"Bumrah has done it numerous times. He was leading the side as Rohit Sharma was not there, and he was under pressure. But Bumrah handled everything, and he should be praised for it," he added.
For the uninitiated, Bumrah was retained by MI for ₹18 crores before the IPL 2025 auction.
The champion pacer was at his usual best last season, picking up 20 wickets at an average of 16.80 and an economy of under 6.50 in 13 outings.
Jasprit Bumrah's Perth heroics helped him regain the top spot in latest ICC Men's Test bowling rankings
Jasprit Bumrah's heroics in the Perth Test against Australia helped him regain the No.1 spot, leapfrogging South African pacer Kagiso Rabada in the latest ICC Men's Test bowler rankings.
His five-wicket haul in the first innings was his 11th in only his 41st Test outing and a second in Australia. The 30-year-old also boasts the second-best Test bowling average at 20.06 among those with at least 150 wickets, only behind England's Sydney Barnes.
Meanwhile, the Perth win was Bumrah's first as captain in Tests after the side lost his maiden red-ball stint at the helm in the fifth and final Test of the 2022 tour of England.
However, Rohit Sharma is set to take over as captain for the second Test in Adelaide, starting Friday, December 6.