SA vs IND: Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah on cusp of huge milestones
Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami (Photo by RANDY BROOKS/AFP via Getty Images)
India will take on South Africa in the three-match Test series starting on December 26 in Centurion. Ahead of the first Test, India pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami are on the cusp of achieving a major milestone in the longest format of the game. Bumrah, who made his Test debut in South Africa in 2018, has gone on to become one of the best fast bowlers of the current generation.
He has managed to take wickets all around the globe. The right-arm pacer has played 24 Test matches, picking 101 wickets. However, he has played only two Test matches in India. The rest 22 have been played in overseas conditions. Bumrah has taken a staggering 97 wickets in these games and is now just three wickets shy of picking 100 wickets away from home.
On the other hand, his partner Mohammed Shami is just five wickets away from picking his 200th wicket. If the right-hand pacer gets to the landmark in Centurion, he will become the fifth Indian pacer to achieve this feat. Kapil Dev, Zaheer Khan, Javagal Srinath, and Ishant Sharma are the ones to have taken more than 200 wickets for India. Shami has played 54 Test matches, taking 195 wickets at an average of 27.57.
Bumrah and Shami have been pivotal for the team’s success in the SENA countries. The duo’s performance will be crucial if India have to harbour hopes of winning a Test series for the first time in South Africa. The visitors have a dismal record in this part of the world and have won just three games. However, India’s record has considerably improved abroad and they have managed to beat Australia and England in their backyard. South Africa remains the final frontier for the Virat Kohli-led team.
