5 special deliveries by Jasprit Bumrah in Tests this year

Jasprit Bumrah has been a phenomenal performer for India over the past couple of years. After impressing one and all with his bowling prowess and acumen in the shorter formats, he got his much-awaited opportunity in the Test side.

Bumrah's debut raised many eyebrows, but he put those doubts to rest when he scalped AB De Villiers in South Africa, his first victim in Tests.

As the tour progressed, Bumrah showed immense improvement and became one of the finds of the trip. When he toured England, he showed his versatility with the new ball and bowled with searing pace. He was able to move the ball with a considerable amount of skill and continuously troubled the English top-order.

In Australia, Bumrah has been the best bowler between the two sides and has been on the money spell after spell. Michael Clarke, Shane Warne, Allan Border, and Dominic Cork have been effusive of their praise for the way he adapts to different surfaces.

He is one of the top wicket-takers in 2018 with 47 wickets in nine games at an average of 20.8. The best part is he has not played a single match in sub-continental conditions and became the first Asian bowler to pick 5-wicket hauls in South Africa, England, and Australia in the same calendar year.

Let's look into the five special deliveries bowled by Bumrah in 2018.

#5 Aiden Markram - Bowled - 2nd Test, Centurion

In the second Test of the series, South Africa managed to get a crucial 28 runs lead and India had to pick up early wickets to get back into the game. Jasprit Bumrah was bowling with the new ball and was generating a lot of sharp movement.

Aiden Markram who had scored an impressive 94 in the first innings was being set up by Bumrah who first bowled an out-swinger which was left alone. The very next delivery he bowled was an unplayable one which swung-in sharply and trapped Markram on the crease. The umpire had no hesitation in raising his finger as he was caught right in front.

Bumrah bowled a similar delivery to Amla in the next over and similarly trapped him as well.

#4 Faf Du Plessis - Bowled - 3rd Test, Johannesburg

India had scored 187 on a treacherous pitch and South Africa was laboring hard against some quality Indian bowling. South Africa was 80 runs behind; Hashim Amla and captain Faf Du Plessis were building a partnership.

Bumrah was bowling a fiery spell and Bhuvneshwar was keeping things tight at the other end. He bowled a sharp in-swinger to DuPlessis who shouldered arms to a ball assuming the ball would fizz past his off-stump. However, he was surprised his off-pole pegged back due to the exaggerated movement. Bumrah had his tails up and finished with 5 for 54, his first 5-for in Tests.

#3 Jonny Bairstow - Bowled - 3rd test, Northampton

In the third Test at Northampton, India had set England a daunting task of chasing down 521 in the fourth innings. India had dominated England on all the three days and started day four by reducing England to 67 for four at lunch. Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes put up a spirited display of batting in the second session and the former went on to complete his maiden hundred in Tests.

Bumrah razed out Buttler with the second new ball with a ball that came back sharply. Jonny Bairstow who was nursing an injured finger was the next man in.

Bumrah bowled a jaffa first up, the ball pitched on middle and off stump and held its line to hit the top of off-stump. Bairstow was squared up and missed the line completely. While making the long walk back, Bairstow nodded in acknowledgment that the ball was indeed unplayable.

#2 Keaton Jennings - LBW - 4th Test, Ageas Bowl

It would be tempting to put this in the number one slot as it was an exceptional delivery and undoubtedly one of the best dismissals of the year.

Bumrah bowled three out-swingers to Jennings in the first over and the opener shouldered arms to those deliveries which were going away.

In his second over, Bumrah bowled an explosive in-swinger and generated massive movement of the surface. Jennings was completely bamboozled as he lost his shape and left a ball that came in and crashed onto his back leg trapping him right in front of middle stump. Bumrah started off celebrating and Jennings didn't bother waiting either.

#1 Shaun Marsh - LBW - 3rd Test, Melbourne

In the third Test at Melbourne, Australia were 89 for three in reply to India's mammoth 443. It was the last ball of the first session on Day 3 and Rohit Sharma who captains Bumrah in Mumbai Indians suggested the yorker machine to try a slower delivery at Marsh's shoes.

What followed next left the cricketing world wonderstruck! Bumrah bowled a slow dipping yorker which hit Shaun Marsh flush on his pads. Marsh, who was not expecting such a delivery lost his shape and fell forward as he was too early in playing the shot. Umpire Ian Gould had no hesitation in ruling Marsh out.

If Jennings's LBW was special, then this was mesmerizing.