The International Cricket Council (ICC) said in a relapse that Bumrah rose to the top for the first time on the back of his tremendous match figures of 9/91 during his side’s series-equalling 106-run victory over England in the second Test in Vizag.
After taking nine wickets in the second Test, Bumrah was named Player of the Match. He also moved up three spots in the most recent Test bowler rankings, unseating teammate Ravichandran Ashwin.
Despite missing the Proteas’ Test series in New Zealand, South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada, who leads the pace department, is still ranked second among Test bowlers.
Ashwin, who has been ranked first since March of last year, took just three wickets for India in that same match and falls two spots to third.
Bumrah, 30, has never finished higher than third in a Test match, despite amassing 10 five-wicket hauls for his country in 34 games. This is the first time he has maintained the top spot.
Bumrah has taken two five-wicket hauls in Test matches in 2024. Earlier in the year, in Cape Town, the India bowler beat South Africa with statistics of 6/61. In his most recent encounter, against England, he picked up an equally amazing 6/45.
Bumrah is just the fourth player from India – and first fast bowler – to top the bowling charts, with Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Bishan Bedi, the only players from the Asian country to have done so previously.
Not only has Bumrah risen noticeably in the most recent ICC rankings, but his teammate Yashasvi Jaiswal has also done so, having been recognized for his outstanding double century in the opening innings of that Vizag Test against England.
With a career-high 209 to begin the match, Jaiswal helped set up the victory. The youthful batsman moved up 37 spots to 29th in the most recent rankings for Test batsmen, with New Zealand veteran Kane Williamson still leading the way.
After two innings in the 70s against India, Steve Smith of Australia moved up to the top of the batting rankings, displacing Joe Root of England, who fell to third. Zak Crawley advanced eight ranks to 22nd.