Top 5 moments when Bumrah dismissed a batter off a no-ball

Jasprit Bumrah is a world-class bowler with a myriad of tricks up his sleeve. When times are hard and the captain throws the ball to him, Bumrah often rises up to the occasion to take the attack to the opposition. A mere mention of his name is enough to make the batters tremble in fear across all formats. But Bumrah, just like all of us, is no godly creature. Being a mortal being, he is also entitled to make mistakes, and there are often times when he misses his mark in pivotal moments.

In this article, we shed light on the top five moments when Bumrah his no-ball turned out to be a costly miss for his side. 

See also: Bumrah Steals the Show with Stunning Five-Wicket Haul

Fakhar Zaman (Champions Trophy 2017, Final)

This is probably the costliest no-ball Bumrah has ever bowled in his international career. Facing up to Pakistan in an all-important Champions Trophy Final, India couldn't have afforded a defeat against their arch-rivals. But Bumrah gave Fakhar Zaman a huge let-off early on in the innings, which probably decided the game in Pakistan's favor. Bumrah had Zaman caught behind when Pakistan's score read 17-0. The entire team started celebrating, and Zaman was already on his way back. But soon enough, it all came crashing down once it was later revealed in a no-ball check that Bumrah had overstepped by some distance while delivering the ball. Zaman was called back, and he went on a rampage, smashing 114 (106). As a result of this swashbuckling onslaught from the Zaman, Pakistan were able to score big and dismantle India cheaply in the second innings, winning the game by 180 runs.  

Nathan Lyon (Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 series, Fourth Test)

This will probably not go down as the costliest miss, but it will remind the fans how India struggled to dismiss the last wicket Aussie stand. In the fourth Test of the BGT 2024-25 Series, India had Australia reeling at 91-7. After a bit of resistance from the lower order, India needed one wicket to wrap up the tail. But much to their frustration, Lyon and Bolan made India toil hard. Even with Bumrah at the helm, India struggled to break the last wicket stand. During the last over of the day, Bumrah had Lyon caught at gully, where Rahul pouched the catch safely. The Indians seemed relieved at that point, knowing that the agony had just come to an end. As they began walking off the field, the late signal of a no-ball was issued by the on-field umpire, thus denying him a wicket. The two Aussie tailenders returned the next day and added a total of 63 runs for the last wicket to give India a hefty target of 340, which at the end turned out to be way beyond their reach. 

Harry Brook (Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, First Test)

In the ongoing Headingly Test, India had the opportunity to put a tight squeeze on England and achieve a sizeable first-innings lead. But that opportunity went begging as Bumrah once again got too tight on the popping crease. Bumrah bowled an exceptional short-pitched delivery to surprise Harry Brook. Given the English batter's natural instinct, Brook tried to take a swipe at it but instead got a genuine top edge. He never had any timing on that, and the catch was comfortably taken by the fielder near mid-on. At the time, Brook was batting on a duck, and much to his delight, Brook was called back as Bumrah's front foot went over the line by some distance. From that point onwards, Brook never looked back and scored at an alarming rate to punish the Indian bowlers. He survived further close calls along the way, but his luck ran out when he was caught at deep fine leg on 99. By that time, England managed to wipe out a major chunk of the deficit thanks to Brook's electrifying onslaught. In the end, India could only secure a narrow lead of six runs, but the case would have been a lot different had Bumrah not bowled a no-ball earlier.

Upul Tharanga (Home ODI series 2017, First ODI)

It was the first ODI of the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. India were skittled cheaply in front of their home crowd for 117 on a juicy wicket. With such a low total to defend, wickets were the need of the hour for India if they had to make a game out of it. They had their moment when Bumrah dismissed Tharanga off a catch. But the no‑ball negated it, and Tharanga got off the hook. It was also a time Sri Lanka found themselves in a tricky situation, and that wicket could have possibly changed the complexion of the game. However, much to the despair of the home side, Tharana took full advantage of the reprieve and made India pay. In that run chase, Tharanga went on to score 49 and stayed unbeaten to steer Sri Lanka to a comfortable win.

Ollie Pope and Alex Lees (Pataudi Trophy 2021-2022, Fifth Test)

This match marked a rare instance when Bumrah committed a double no-ball blunder. In the fifth test, India needed a draw to win the series and had England with their backs against the wall. Bumrah dismissed two batters in the same match after bowling no‑balls—first Lees, then Pope. He famously laughed after the wicket, acknowledging the irony. Although the two batters did not go on to make a significant contribution in that Test, Lees still managed to chip in with a healthy 56 in the fourth innings to give England a reasonable platform to chase down a mammoth 378 and level the series 2-2.