Jasprit Bumrah stars at Perth with a five-wicket haul in the BGT opener

Despite a disappointing start to the Border Gavaskar Trophy at Perth, India has claimed a favorable position in the series opener at the turn of the second day. The 150-run stand managed by Indian batters in the first innings, after Jasprit Bumrah opted to bat first, seemed like a prophecy for a defeat against the Kangaroos. However, it was the same Bumrah, playing as India's interim captain in the Perth Test, who changed the team's fate at the Aussies' den. The lethal pacer, arguably one of the best in the world currently, clinched a four-wicket haul on Day 1 to shatter the Australian batting lineup early in the match. The skipper returned on Day 2 to complete his fifer and add another page to his name in the record books.

Jasprit Bumrah equals Kapil Dev in record books with his five-wicket haul at Perth

The fifer claimed by Bumrah at Perth early on Saturday is his seventh five-wicket haul in SENA. Playing on the fiery Perth pitch, Bumrah breathed fire to emerge absolutely unplayable for the Australians. His carnage against the Kangaroos included trapping the seasoned Steve Smith in a leg-before-wicket dismissal for a golden duck. Now, with seven five-wicket hauls to his name in SENA, Bumrah has placed himself alongside the legendary World Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev in the record charts. The former seamer holds the record for the most five-wicket hauls by an Indian bowler in these challenging overseas conditions. Bumrah has matched Kapil Dev with his scintillating spell on the Perth turf.

In a bid to defend whatever the Indian batting lineup managed against Starc and Hazlewood, Bumrah started his work early. His first wicket came in the third over of the innings as debutant Nathan McSweeney departed lbw. While Kohli at slip dropped a sitter to gift Labuschagne a second chance, Bumrah's undying relentlessness claimed another opener, Usman Khawaja, soon enough. Smith departed next for a golden duck, while Australian skipper Pat Cummins turned up as Bumrah's fourth victim of the opening day. Kicking off the second day, Bumrah sent off wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey to finish with figures of 5/30 from 18 overs at a remarkable economy rate of 1.67.

Over 27 Tests in SENA nations, Bumrah has amassed an impressive tally of 118 wickets at an average of 22.55, with his best figures being 6/33. He now shares the top spot with Kapil, who has as many fifers overseas, followed by BS Chandrashekhar and Zaheer Khan with six fifers each, and Bishan Singh Bedi and Anil Kumble, who have scalped five five-wicket hauls each. Bumrah also joined an elite group of Indian captains to take a five-wicket haul in Tests, becoming the fifth to achieve this distinction. He follows in the footsteps of Vinoo Mankad, Bishan Bedi, Kapil Dev, and Anil Kumble, with Kumble being the last Indian captain to do so, at the MCG in 2007.

Debuting in Tests back in 2016, the 30-year-old seamer has picked up fifers at significant venues, including Johannesburg, Melbourne, Nottingham, North Sound, Kingston, Cape Town, Bengaluru, Visakhapatnam, and Perth. Notably, with his impressive outing at Perth, Bumrah also emerged as a bowler with one of the lowest bowling averages ever. Boasting an average of 20.16 with 178 wickets in 41 Tests, Bumrah left behind the likes of legends Malcolm Marshall and Joel Garner to claim the second spot in the list of bowlers with the best bowling averages in Tests.