BOOM BOOM POW! That’s how Jasprit Bumrah always announces his arrival in a game with a wicket. And in South Africa, he is the absolute ‘dangerman’.

It’s been six years since we have seen Bumrah’s iconic run-up, ‘that’ unorthodox arm motion, ‘that’ toe-crushing bowling length - all combined for an inevitable wicket dismissal in cricket. Coincidentally, the pace wizard returns to play the upcoming Test at the venue where his Test career took off - Newlands, Cape Town.

Having impressed with the ball in the first Test and in the build-up to the second Test, where he once again leads the bowling attack for India, we opened the archives to revisit Bumrah’s best bowling spells whenever he has set foot on the Proteas soil.

5/42 - Cape Town (2022)

The seam-friendly surface at Newlands proved to be a boon for BOOM BOOM, as he grabbed a monumental five-wicket haul in the second innings of the 2022 Test. First, he pocketed the wickets of Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram inside the first 10 overs of the innings as he got the ball to swing both ways. Later, he would return to take three more scalps - including that of half-centurion Keegan Petersen (72) - to see off a narrow advantage for India.

5/54 - Johannesburg (2018)

A special spell this, as it was the maiden five-wicket haul of Jasprit Bumrah’s Test career. With India having lost the initial two games of the Test series, BOOM BOOM’s spirited bowling spell ignited the flames of a potential victory at the Wanderers. With India bowling second, Bumrah brought the hammer down on the Proteas middle order by dismissing heavyweights Faf du Plessis, Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock before completing his fifer by adding the dismissals of Andile Phehlukwayo and Kagiso Rabada.

4/69 - Centurion (2023)

Back with a bang and how! We TRULY missed BUMRAH in the Test whites. On his return outing, Jasprit Bumrah showed why he is a vital cog in India’s plan to win the World Test Championship with an impressive four-wicket haul. While the Indian bowlers were at the receiving end of a hammering from the Proteas batters, Bumrah stood his ground by taking down Tony de Zorzi, Keegan Petersen, and tailenders Kagiso Rabada and Nandre Burger to put a roadblock on South Africa’s juggernaut run in the first innings. While India would lose the game, one of the few positives would be the return of BOOM BOOM Bumrah to red-ball cricket for India.

3/39 - Cape Town (2018)

This Test marked the true baptism of Jasprit Bumrah as a Test bowler for India. While he made early in-roads into the game by grabbing his maiden Test wicket in the first innings, with the prized scalp of AB de Villiers (65), Bumrah would up the ante in the second innings with a spell of 3/39 inside 11.2 overs. His wickets? Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock and AB de Villiers. With this, Indian cricket fans would have one train of thought: No dangerous batter can escape the lens of Jasprit Bumrah when he has the ball in his hand.

Jasprit Bumrah’s top bowling spells in South Africa

With 10 Test wickets in two trips to Cape Town, Jasprit Bumrah is on the verge of breaking Javagal Srinath’s record (12) for most Test wickets by an Indian at Newlands. So Paltan, flood the comments and shower your chants and prayers to help BOOM BOOM break another milestone and pivot the way for India to level the SA vs IND Test series.