Bumrah first bowler to be No. 1 in all 3 formats

The first Indian pacer to become the No.1 ICC Test bowler and his rivalry with England’s all-time great is adding spice to the Test series

- Sanjjeev K Samyal

Sport is filled with examples of how a rivalry between top players brings the best out of both. We used to see it happen when Kapil Dev and Imran Khan played against each other or either went into a contest against Ian Botham's or Richard Hadlee's teams. Between the four, there were constant comparisons of who's the best all-rounder. It was the same when Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara shared the turf, vying for the tag of the best batter of their era.

Jasprit Bumrah has just become the first Indian fast bowler ever to become No.1 in the ICC Test ranking he is also the first bowler ever to have topped the rankings in all three formats. Only three batters-Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting and Virat Kohlihave had this distinction in the past. Bumrah's rise to the top is reward for his sensational spell in the Visakhapatnam Test win. It is also a great occasion to compare him with England's sultan of swing, James Anderson.

By age, Anderson is Bumrah's super senior, but both stand out as leaders of their respective attacks, showing a developing rivalry.

Anderson, 41, is a legend while Bumrah, 30, is the current sensation. Are they in the 'anything you can do, I can do better' mode? Starting with 2018 in England, it is the fourth series they are contesting. When asked by commentator Harsh Bhogle after the second Test, Bumrah played down their rivalry but the way the pacers bowled in Vizag left everyone spellbound.

Bumrah is the leading wickettaker in the series, with 15 in two Tests. And after his Player-of-theMatch winning nine-wicket match haul, he has crossed the 150-wicket mark in Tests.