Bumrah and the curious case of the world rankings

The India spearhead’s white-ball rankings do little justice to his sheer dominance over batting units across the world

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The television crews were at it right after Day 1 of the Perth Test had ended. As the people poured in, one question was put to them: what did you make of Jasprit Bumrah? Many of them had seen Bumrah bowling before on their television set but to see him in the flesh was something else. The line, the length, the changes of pace and the manner in which he got inside the heads of Aussies. The Bumrah Test experience (and IN AUS it is different from ODIS and T20s) is something that needs to be seen to be believed.

And in most cases, the rather predictable answers were delivered with a twinkle in the eyes: Bumrah is great', 'I am an Aussie and it breaks my heart but the man is magic', 'Just too good', 'The No.1 bowler in the world'.

The last of those statements seemed to stick out like a sore thumb. There are, of course, mountains still to be climbed but Bumrah has been a huge reason for India's upward move in Test cricket. But the ICC's official rankings don't always recognise greatness-at least not the way it should be.

On November 27, the ICC sent out an email titled 'Bumrah wrests back top spot in ICC Men's Test Bowling Rankings'.