Express pacer Jasprit Bumrah
wrote his name in the history books of cricket, becoming the fastest Indian
fast bowler to reach the landmark of 100 Test wickets. Bumrah achieved the feat
during the fifth and final day of the fourth Test against England, which was
his 24th cap in the longest format – one fewer than legendary Indian
all-rounder Kapil Dev.

Bumrah
was spitting fire on the final day on the final day of an enthralling Test at
the Oval and got India two important breakthroughs in the second session. He
first bowled Ollie Pope, who scored a half-century in the first innings,
catching him by surprise with an in-swinger that went through his defence to
rattle the stumps. 

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He
then bowled an absolute toe-crusher that crashed into Jonny Bairstow’s stumps
and send England’s wicketkeeper-batsman packing for a duck. 

Bumrah
also has the best average among Indian bowlers to take at least 100 Test
wickets. His currently averages a wicket every 22.45 runs, bettering
Ravichandran Ashwin‘s 24.56 when he reached 100 Test wickets. 

Bumrah is currently 23rd in the list of highest wicket-takers in Test cricket for India, but has a better average (22.45) and strike rate (50.2) than the rest. 

He is the joint-eighth fatest Indian bowler to take 100 Test wickets, along with Ravindra Jadeja, who also reached the landmark on his 24th Test.

Ashwin is the fastest Indian bowler to reach 100 Test wickets, reaching the milestone in just 18 matches. England’s George Alfred Lohmann, who played from 1886-1896, remains the all-time fastest bowler to take 100 Test wickets, in 16 matches. 

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Meanwhile, India are on the brink of a famous win in the fourth Test, with England at 193/8 at Tea. Indian pacers ran riot on the final day, with Bumrah and Shardul Thakur taking two wickets each to bring the English batting line-up to its knees.  

Thakur got India’s first breakthrough of the day, dismissing opener Rory Burns and the England captain Joe Root. Ravindra Jadeja also took two wickets, dismissing Haseeb Hameed and Moeen Ali, with Umesh Yadav joining the party, as he sent Chris Woakes packing with the final delivery before Tea.