After having no luck in the first session, Jasprit Bumrah picked his maiden Test wicket after lunch on day one of India’s opening Test against South Africa at Cape Town. And it wasn’t just any other batsman. The Indian pacer, who earned his Test cap just that morning, removed South African batsman AB de Villiers who was well set at the crease with Faf du Plessis.
As De Villiers tried playing Bumrah’s 140 kph full delivery, the ball hit the inside edge and then the off stump.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time that Bumrah's maiden wicket has been that of a big batsman.
Click here for ball-to-ball updates of India vs South Africa Cape Town Test here.
The Indian pacer’s first wicket in the Indian Premier League (IPL) was Virat Kohli. Just 19 years old, he made his IPL debut for Mumbai Indians even before his first-class debut for Gujarat against Vidarbha in the same year.
Bumrah made both, his ODI and T20 debut, during India’s tour of Australia in January 2016.
In his maiden One Day International, the cricketer picked out none other than Steve Smith at midwicket. Just three days later, Bumrah played his first T20 International game on 26 January 2016 and dismissed David Warner off a short ball. As the Australian batsman looked for the pull, he mistimed the shot and was caught at mid-on.
World No 1 India are playing South Africa in 3 Tests, 6 ODIs and 3 T20Is. The three-Test South Africa series is the first of India’s gruelling 2018-19 season that includes tours to England and Australia – assignments that are being seen as a make or break season for Virat Kohli and his men to prove their worth as a good travelling unit.
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