BGT: Jasprit Bumrah, Steve Smith Eye MAJOR Milestones In IND vs AUS Boxing Day Test At MCG

BGT: As Australia and India gear up to lock horns in the IND vs AUS Boxing Day Test at the MCG, Jasprit Bumrah and Steve Smith eye major milestones in Test cricket.

BGT: Both Steve Smith and Jasprit Bumrah will enter the IND vs AUS Boxing Day Test on the back of good performances.

Source : X/ @CricketAus

India and Australia are gearing up to face each other in the fourth IND vs AUS Test of the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). With the series tied at 1-1, the Boxing Day Test is scheduled to get under way from December 26 (Thursday). Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and Australia’s star batter Steve Smith have their eyes set on major Test milestones, respectively.

Bumrah has not only been a standout bowler for Team India, but he also tops the wicket-taking charts of the BGT 2024/25, having claimed 21 wickets in three matches so far with an outstanding average of 10.90.

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The Indian pacer also is just 6 wickets away from reaching 200 Test wickets, an achievement which has been accomplished by only five Indian pacers in the history of Test cricket—Kapil Dev, Ishant Sharma, Javagal Srinath and Mohammed Shami. In total, 11 Indian bowlers have reached this milestone. Bumrah currently has 194 wickets in Tests after 43 matches at an average of 19.53.

Steve Smith Just 191 Runs Away From BIG Milestone

Steve Smith, on the other hand, is also nearing a mega milestone in his Test career. Smith is only 191 runs shy of completing 10,000 Test runs, a feat that is a dream of most Test batters. If Smith manages to achieve this, he will become only the fourth Australian player to reach this prestigious milestone. Alan Border, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting are the only Australian players to have scored 10,000 runs in Test cricket.

Steve Smith, often regarded as the best Test batter of this generation, currently has 9809 runs in 112 matches at an average of 56.05. Smith, who has faced a poor run of form with the bat in recent times, brought up his 33rd Test hundred by scoring 101 runs in the third IND vs AUS Test at Brisbane.