The third Test match between India and England saw the Shubman Gill-led saw get a major boost as Jasprit Bumrah return to the playing XI in place of Prasidh Krishna after he missed the second Test at Edgbaston due to workload management issues.

With the series level at 1-1, Bumrah's return has come as a major boost as the Asian giants aim to take a lead in the series. India's stunning 336-run victory at Edgbaston was made special by the fact it came in Bumrah's absence, with Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep stepping up.

Since India's memorable victory in the second Test, a stat has gone viral on social media and was mentioned on air during commentary by Dinesh Karthik, which shows that since Bumrah made his debut, the Indian team's record without him in the playing XI is better than with him.

Since Bumrah's debut in Test cricket in January 2018, the star has played a total of 46 matches in which India has won 20 matches and lost 22, with five draws. With Bumrah playing, India has a win percentage of 43%. In the same period, India have played a total of 27 Tests without Bumrah in the line-up in which they have a win percentage of 70% with 19 wins, five losses, and three draws.

However, as the popular saying goes, 'stats side more than they hide', and that could be no truer than the viral stat about Bumrah.

The Truth Behind The Viral Stat! Myth Busted

A closer look at the numbers will show the reality behind the stat and the big difference between India's win percentage with and without Jasprit Bumrah in the playing XI.

In the 46 matches, India have played with Bumrah in their line-up, most have come overseas and in SENA countries, which go without saying are harder to win and traditionally places that India do not have a good record in.

Infact, India have rarely used Bumrah in home Tests prior to the start of 2024 and Bumrah has played the same number of matches in India and Australia and at the end of the current series, would have played as many or more in England too.

34 out of Bumrah's 46 appearances (Before Lord's Test) have come outside Asia, with 34 of them in SENA countries.

Host Country	Played	Won	Draw	Loss	Win Percentage
India	12	8	0	4	66.6%
Australia	12	4	5	3	33.3%
England	10	3	1	6	30%
South Africa	8	3	0	5	37.5%
New Zealand	2	0	0	2	0%
West Indies	2	2	0	0	100%

On the the hand, in the 27 matches that India have played without Bumrah, 18 of them have been in India, where not only have the national team had a period of unprecedented dominance but also places where pacers are not needed as much in action. Only six of these games have been in SENA countries, and eight away from Asia.

Host Country	Played	Won	Draw	Loss	Win Percentage
India	18	14	2	2	77.7%
Bangladesh	2	2	0	0	100%
Australia	1	1	0	0	100%
England	4	1	0	3	25%
West Indies	2	2	0	0	100%

In SENA nations since Bumrah's debut, India have played five games without Bumrah with just two victories, which include last week's victory in Birmingham and the famous win at Gabba in 2021.

Infact, India have won 30 matches in SENA countries in their history, and Bumrah has featured in 10 of these victories. This is the joint-second most by any Indian player alongside Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, and Rishabh Pant, with only Cheteshwar Pujara (11) ahead of him in the list.

It is also worth pointing out that Bumrah has been key to the team's win when he has played with a stunning record of 110 wickets in 20 matches in victories at an average of 14.50. Bumrah's average is the best for any Indian bowler who has featured in more than seven wins in Test cricket.

Even in losing causes, Bumrah's performance has been top notch with 78 wickets in 22 games at an average of 27.16. No Indian bowler has a lower bowling economy in losing causes (10 or more matches lost).