Brisbane, Dec 18 (NationPress) Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has ascended to the position of the leading wicket-taker in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle. The 31-year-old surpassed his teammate and veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin during the third Test against Australia at the Gabba.

Currently ranked No. 1 in the ICC Test bowler rankings, Bumrah has secured a total of 66 wickets across 13 Tests, while Ashwin, who announced his retirement after the conclusion of the third Test on Wednesday, has claimed 63 wickets in 14 Tests.

Bumrah's exceptional performance was on display in Brisbane. During Australia’s second innings, after dismissing Khawaja, the pacer took down Marnus Labuschagne for just 1 run and returned to clean up Pat Cummins with his first ball of the second spell.

For the match, Bumrah recorded a staggering haul of 9-94 in 34 overs.

Bumrah’s rapid ascent has positioned him to potentially break multiple records. If he manages to take six more wickets in the remaining two matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he will eclipse Ravichandran Ashwin’s record for the most wickets by an Indian in a single WTC cycle.

Ashwin, who is still India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Test history, had amassed 71 wickets in 14 Tests during the inaugural 2019-21 WTC, while the Australian spin wizard Nathan Lyon topped the chart with 88 wickets in 20 matches during the 2021-23 edition.

Additionally, on Wednesday, Bumrah also became India’s leading Test wicket-taker in Australia, surpassing Kapil Dev’s previous record of 51 wickets during the second session on the final day of the Gabba Test.

Earlier in the match, the 31-year-old pace maestro achieved his third Test five-wicket haul in Australia on day two of the third Test. Among Indian bowlers, only Kapil Dev has more five-wicket hauls in Australia, totaling five, while Anil Kumble follows closely with four.

This marked Bumrah's 12th five-wicket haul in Test cricket and his 8th in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia). He has become the first Indian to achieve this milestone, breaking the record previously held by Kapil Dev, who is second on the list with 7 fivers.