Adam Gilchrist Says Jasprit Bumrah's Bowling Would Have Challenged Don Bradman’s 99.94 Test Average
Former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist has praised India’s fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, saying that even the legendary cricketer Sir Don Bradman would have struggled against him. Bumrah caught the attention of the cricket world with his outstanding performances in 2024. He played a key role in India’s T20 World Cup victory and also made a big impact with his deadly bowling in Test cricket.
Gilchrist recognized Bumrah and mentioned how even Bradman with his extremely impressive batting average of 99.94, might have struggled against Bumrah's bowling. Bumrah was named Player of the Series in a test series against Australia, and also Bumrah was the top wicket-taker by taking 32 wickets in the five-match test series.
Most Wickets in India vs Australia Test Series
| Rank | Player | Wickets | Series |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jasprit Bumrah | 32 | India tour of Australia 2024/25 |
| 2 | Harbhajan Singh | 32 | Australia tour of India 2000/01 |
| 3 | Bishen Singh Bedi | 31 | India tour of Australia 1977/78 |
| 3 | Craig McDermott | 31 | India tour of Australia 1991/92 |
| 4 | Richie Benaud | 29 | Australia tour of India 1959/60 |
| 4 | Alan Davidson | 29 | Australia tour of India 1959/60 |
| 4 | R Ashwin | 29 | Australia tour of India 2012/13 |
“I’m not putting a number on him because no rating can do justice to what he is in world sport. He would have made life difficult for Bradman in no time. Bradman’s average would have been much lower than 99,” Gilchrist said on the Club Prairie Fire podcast.
Bumrah started the BGT 2024-25 series with an amazing performance in Perth, getting the Player of the Match award, and helping India to win by a huge margin of 295 runs, he took 8/72 in that first test match. After that, he really made it difficult for the Australian batsmen, by taking nine wickets in both Brisbane (9/94) and Melbourne (9/156).
Bumrah’s brilliant performances have helped him climb to the top of the ICC Test rankings for bowlers, where he now holds the highest-ever rating by an Indian bowler 908 rating points.
ICC Test rankings for bowlers
| Pos | Team | Player | Rating | Career Best Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | IND | Jasprit Bumrah | 908 | 908 v Australia at Sydney 2025 |
| 02 | Australia | Pat Cummins | 841 | 914 v England at Old Trafford 2019 |
| 03 | South Africa | Kagiso Rabada | 837 | 902 v Australia at Gqeberha 2018 |
| 04 | Australia | Josh Hazlewood | 835 | 864 v India at Bengaluru 2017 |
| 05 | South Africa | Marco Jansen | 785 | 803 v Pakistan at Centurion 2024 |
Bumrah suffered an injury during the fifth Test in Sydney, which forced him to stop bowling from the second day onwards, and also India lost the final test and series by 1-3. This injury has raised doubts about his availability for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Because of his injury, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) told Bumrah to go to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru to recover from his injury.
ALSO READ: Kapil Dev Asks Fans Not to Compare Cricketers from Different Generations