New Delhi: Jasprit Bumrah, the ‘Yorker King’ of Indian cricket, created history in the ODI World Cup (World Cup 2023) match against Afghanistan (IND vs AFG) in Lucknow on Wednesday. The ace pacer took four wickets for 39 runs in his 10 overs, helping India restrict Afghanistan to 272 for 8 in their 50 overs. India chased down the target with six wickets and 12 balls to spare, thanks to a brilliant century by Rohit Sharma.
Bumrah, who is known for his lethal yorkers and variations, was the most successful bowler for India in the match. He dismissed Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and also bowled two maiden overs. This was Bumrah’s best performance against Afghanistan in the ODI format, surpassing his previous best of 3 for 36.
Bumrah also etched his name in the history of the ODI World Cup with his four-wicket haul. This was the second time he achieved this feat in the mega event, after taking 4 for 55 against Bangladesh in the 2019 edition. With this, he joined the elite club of Indian bowlers who have taken four wickets twice in the ODI World Cup. The other members of this club are Ashish Nehra, Javagal Srinath, Umesh Yadav, and Yuvraj Singh.
However, the record of taking four wickets the most number of times in the ODI World Cup belongs to Mohammed Shami, who has done it four times. Shami took 4 for 35 against Pakistan and 4 for 16 against West Indies in the 2015 edition, 4 for 40 against Afghanistan, and 5 for 69 against England in the 2019 edition.
Bumrah, who made his ODI debut in 2016, has been one of India’s most consistent and effective bowlers in all formats. He has taken 115 wickets in 70 ODIs at an average of 24.65 and an economy rate of 4.66. He is currently ranked second in the ICC ODI Bowlers Rankings. He is also the only bowler to take five-wicket hauls in South Africa, England, Australia, and West Indies.
Bumrah will be a key factor for India’s success in the ongoing ODI World Cup, where they have won three out of their four matches so far. India will face New Zealand in their next match on October 15 in Kanpur.
