Steve Smith's Blunt Jasprit Bumrah Verdict In "Best Fast Bowler" Debate

Is Jasprit Bumrah the best pace bowler in the world? There would hardly be a handful of people who would argue over Bumrah's stature. The India star has developed into a world-beater across formats, arguably becoming the most feared bowler in the world. Bumrah was crucial to Team India's successes at T20 World Cup 2024 and is as difficult to face in red-ball cricket, if not more. When seasoned Australian batter Steve Smith was asked about his verdict on Bumrah's stature, he spoke glowingly of the speedster ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, calling the Indian arguably the best fast bowler across formats.

The five-Test series between India and Australia begins in Perth on November 22. India have won the past two series Down Under. If India are to do a three peat, Bumrah's rare skills will be heavily relied upon in Australia.

"He's a wonderful bowler, whether I face him with the new ball, slightly older ball, or even the old ball. He's got great skills with all of them. He's a great bowler, arguably the best fast bowler across the three formats. It's always going to be a challenge," Smith told Star Sports.

Bumrah's was recently branded the 'Kohinoor' of Indian cricket, with several former cricketers expressing their delight to see a bowler being in the spotlight in a country like India which is obsessively in love with its batters. 

The 35-year-old Smith has been opening for Australia in the past couple of series and is expected to do the same against India.

Smith, a veteran of 109 Tests, is likely to cross the 10,000-run milestone in the high-profile series, having so far made 9685 runs.

Bumrah, on the other hand, has done remarkably well since making his Test debut in January 2018, taking 164 wickets in 37 games at an average of 20.51.

With PTI Inputs