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Jasprit Bumrah is taking the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year 2024 award ‘with a pinch of salt’. He also picked his favorite wicket of 2024.
Jasprit Bumrah is the first Indian pacer to win ICC Test cricketer of the year.
Jasprit Bumrah said he’s ‘really happy’ to win the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year award for 2024 but wants to keep his feet on the ground and doesn’t want to let himself get too high in his mind.
The Indian Test vice-captain took 71 wickets at a brilliant average of 14.92, finishing as the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket in 2024. He became the first Indian pacer to win the prestigious honor.
“I am really happy to be winning the men’s Test cricketer of the year,” Bumrah said in a video statement to the ICC. “This format has always been close to my heart and I always wanted to play this format. So, really happy to get this honor from the ICC.”
Bumrah was also asked to pick his favorite wicket from 2024 and his choice was same as many of his fans: the searing yorker to clean-bowl Ollie Pope in the Vizag Test of the home series against England.
“Last year was really special for having a lot of learnings and wins. I have been really happy to have played a lot of Test cricket this year and many wickets have been special. But the one I took against England at Vizag, the Ollie Pope yorker, was really special because it changed the momentum in our favor.”
“It feels really good to get honored from the legends of the game but I always take things with a pinch of salt. I am very happy with the honor but I won’t let myself get to high. My feet are on the ground but I am really happy with the accolades I get,” Bumrah added.
Bumrah was all but singlehandedly carrying India’s bowling attack in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The extra workload took a toll on his body and he injured his back before the final innings of the last Test in Sydney.
He’s said to have been asked complete rest from bowling for a month. He’s expected to be back for the final ODI of the ongoing white-ball rubber against England, which will be played on February 12. India will hope he’s fit for the 2025 Champions Trophy, where their campaign starts on February 20.
