Leg and Off: Is Jasprit Bumrah's brilliant 2024 the greatest year for an individual bowler in Tests?

Ace Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah has touched stratospheric levels when it comes to Test bowling in 2024. With the ability to pick up wickets for fun on any and every surface, Bumrah scared the daylight out of batters like very few, if any, Indian pacers have in history.

The 31-year-old completed 200 Test wickets in the fourth Test of the ongoing Australian series. It made him the first bowler with 200 or more wickets at an average of 20 (19.42) in Test history. Bumrah is also by some distance the leading wicket-taker in the series with 30 scalps at a stunning average of 12.83 in four outings.

While 2024 has been a mixed bag for India in terms of results, Bumrah has been nothing short of sensational from start to finish. Yet, was it the greatest-ever season by a bowler in Tests?

Before we jump into that, let us pay tribute to Jasprit Bumrah's 2024 Test season that had the jaws of cricket fans all over the world drop like clockwork.

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Jasprit Bumrah's 2024 - Transforming India's narrative on and off the field

Australia v India - Men's 1st Test Match: Day 4 - Source: Getty

India, more than any other cricketing nation, has always been a batter's country, with the likes of Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar in the past and Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma now dominating the headlines.

Yet, Jasprit Bumrah in 2024 made it all about himself in what felt like a cultural shift in Indian cricket. Such was his impact throughout the season that Indian fans never lost hope even in dire situations.

Bumrah's dominant 2024 started with a brilliant six-wicket haul in the second innings of the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town, helping India avoid a series defeat (1-1). The following home series against England saw him finish with 19 wickets in four Tests at an extraordinary average of 16.89 despite playing on spin-friendly conditions.

Bangladesh predictably had no answers to Bumrah's artistry as the champion pacer bagged 11 wickets in two Tests to help India whitewash the Tigers by a 2-0 margin.

His rare off-performances came in India's disastrous New Zealand series at home, picking up only three wickets in the two games he played. Yet, the bounce back was immediate and in style, as Bumrah has rampaged through the ongoing Australian series with 30 wickets in four Tests at an average of 12.83.

Bumrah's overall Test numbers in 2024 read - 71 wickets in 13 matches at an average of 14.92 with five five-wicket hauls. Beyond the numbers, Bumrah's impact and the visuals of him comprehensively dismissing some of the best batters in world cricket make his 2024 Test season inarguably in the upper echelon of the sport.

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Other contenders to the throne

AUS: Second Test - Australia v Sri Lanka: Day 5 - Source: Getty

Cricket has been blessed with several legendary Test bowlers, many of whom have enjoyed spectacular single seasons in the red-ball format. As incredible as Bumrah's 2024 was, he finished only 15th all-time for most Test wickets in a year.

Yet, other impact numbers, intangibles, and circumstances help exclude some of those above Bumrah in terms of wickets in a season. Only two bowlers - Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan have ever finished with 90 or more Test wickets in a year, making them automatic contenders.

Three bowlers finished with 80 or more wickets in a year - Muralitharan in a different season, Dennis Lillee, and Allan Donald. Yet, only none of these names had an average lower than Bumrah's 14.92.

Yet, Donald in 1998, Muralitharan in 2006 had averages below 20 (qualifier for the sake of the discussion), and Warne's 96 wickets in 2005 remains the most by a bowler in a single season in Tests.

Hence, the battle for the throne for the best bowling season in Tests has to be between Bumrah's 2024, Donald's 1998, Muralitharan's 2006, and Warne's 2005.

Let us find out who ultimately triumphs between these four incredible single-season Test performances.

Winner

Sri Lanka v South Africa First Test - Day 3 - Source: Getty

As incredibly great as Allan Donald's 80-wicket 1998 season was, all his outings came in SENA countries - a pacer's delight. While no fault of his, the lack of games on more challenging Asian pitches means just being nine wickets ahead of Jasprit Bumrah with a worse average eliminates him from the competition.

It also doesn't help matters for Donald that South Africa lost the five-Test series in England 1-2 and suffered an innings defeat to Australia in Sydney to begin the 1998 season.

Hence, it is now a three-player race between Warne's 2005, Bumrah's 2024, and Muralitharan's 2006 Test seasons. Warne has a head start with the most wickets in a single season at 96, yet, his average of 22.02 is worse than Muralitharan's and Bumrah's.

Despite his heroic effort, Australia, even with a much better side than Bumrah's India and Muralitharan's Sri Lanka, suffered a surprising 1-2 series defeat to England in the famous 2005 Ashes. While it was wins galore otherwise, his impact numbers and the England series defeat make it touch-and-go between himself and Bumrah.

Coming to Muralitharan's 2006, the former Sri Lankan off-spinner enjoyed undeniably the greatest single-season in Test history. For starters, his 90 scalps is the second-most in a year and the nine five-wicket hauls and five ten-wicket match hauls are both records for a single season.

Muralitharan also had a much tougher path with five of his 11 Tests in 2006 coming in England and New Zealand. Yet, the legendary spinner ensured a fairly average Lankan side managed a 1-1 draw in both tours, thanks to his heroic efforts.

Muralitharan's 24 wickets in five innings in England and 17 wickets in four innings in New Zealand are nothing short of extraordinary for a spinner on those conditions.

The only negative about his other-worldly 2006 season was Sri Lanka losing a two-match home series to Pakistan 0-1. Yet, Bumrah was also part of India's home series defeat to New Zealand and the side is also trailing 1-2 in Australia despite his magical displays.

Thus, it is safe to say, that the quantitative numbers, circumstances, and impact numbers give Muttiah Muralitharan's 2006 season a slight edge over Jasprit Bumrah's 2024 and Shane Warne's 2005 campaigns.

Final Verdict: Muttiah Muralitharan's 2006 season is the best-ever Test season with Jasprit Bumrah's 2024 and Shane Warne's 2005 runs being joint runners-up.