“O Jasprit Bumrah, my beautiful brother. The best bowler in the whole of cricket…,” Martin sang in his tribute. “We did not enjoy watching you destroy England, wicket after wicket.”

It wasn’t just England that felt the heat of Bumrah’s brilliance. In the last year, South Africa, Bangladesh, New Zealand and Australia were all subjected to the devastating accuracy that formed the basis of Martin’s ode on Sunday.

The right arm pacer amassed 71 wickets in just 13 matches at a jaw-dropping average of 14.92 and a strike rate of 30.16. He was in a league of his own this year. For context, the second-placed Gus Atkinson of England took 52 wickets in 11 matches.

Through the year, Bumrah bowled just 357 overs in Tests but maintained an exceptional economy rate of just 2.96. Way lower than the 17 others who have claimed 70 or more wickets in a year. The club includes legends such as Shane Warne, M Muralidaran, Dennis Lillee and Allan Donald.

Virat Kohli was the last Indian to win the award in 2018. However, Bumrah is only the fourth Indian bowler to feature in the lists, joining legends like Ravichandran Ashwin, Anil Kumble and Kapil Dev. Interestingly, among the 17 bowlers in Test history, nobody has achieved the feat at an average lower than Bumrah’s.

When Bumrah first came on to the international scene, it was clear that his nearly inimitable unique bowling style, characterised by a relatively short run-up and a deceptive release was his unique selling point.

He had already made the waves in domestic cricket but the risk of a bowler with distinctive style getting decoded at the international level continued to hover over the years, as it has with several bowlers all over the world.

But eight years since his debut for India, he continues to consistently trouble batters worldwide. Batters persistently try, but most of them are still far from finding Bumrah out. In fact, when asked to explain what it was like to face the pacer during the recent series Down Under, Australia opener Usman Khawaja said, “I was just getting Bumrah-ed”.

In the last year, 32 of his 71 wickets have come during the Border-Gavaskar series against Australia alone. India lost the series 1-3 but Bumrah’s stellar performance earned him the Player of the Series award with 32 wickets at an average of 13.06. He overtook Kapil Dev to create the record for most Test wickets by an Indian in Australia with overall 64 wickets at an average of 17.15 compared to Kapil’s 51 wickets at 24.58.

Bumrah’s absence due to a back spasm in the final innings of the last Test was felt especially because the Sydney pitch presented some of the best bowling conditions for seamers. After shouldering India’s campaign for most of the series, it was indeed a dampener to watch Bumrah sit out.

Following the conclusion of the series, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting told the ICC Review recently, “I definitely think he is India’s best fast bowler… [The performances] It’s across the formats now. A lot of the greats before him didn’t play all three formats as much as he has. He can put his hand up ask people to sit back and watch… in ODIs, T20Is and Test cricket. He is clearly the best.”

During the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, he claimed his 200th Test wicket. His nine-wicket haul in that match including a five-wicket haul in the second innings was instrumental in ensuring India were able to challenge the hosts.

Occasionally, in home series, India can spring up another bowling hero or two but Bumrah continues to be the team’s go-to-man overseas. Bumrah was also the player of the series in the two-match series against South Africa with 12 wickets at an average of 12.92.

It is hard to forget Bumrah’s menacing early-morning spell at Newlands at the start of 2024. His 6/61 on that burning deck propelled India to a series-levelling seven-wicket victory in what turned out to be the shortest game ever played in Test history.

While other challenges continue to affect Indian cricket and more developments are made in international cricket, one visual remains consistent. A largely non-controversial bowler, with a minimal run-up but a bizarre-looking action, continues to make batters look silly worldwide.

Smriti Mandhana named Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year

As far as purple patches go, Smriti Mandhana’s performance in the last year is right up there. The left-handed opener racked up 747 runs in 13 innings at an impressive average of 57.86 across 2024.

In the process, she scored four ODI centuries in the year. The Indian vice-captain’s runs were instrumental in India’s 3-0 series win against South Africa in June.

An outstanding century proved to be a match-defining contribution in the series decider against New Zealand in October. Her most memorable knock, however, came against Australia in a defiant century in a losing cause in Perth in December.

Mandhana became only the second player to win the award twice after New Zealand’s Suzie Bates. She had previously won it in 2018.