Marco Jansen Outperformed Bumrah: Former India Star’s Brutal Take After Guwahati Loss

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan said Marco Jansen outperformed Jasprit Bumrah in both bowling and batting during South Africa’s dominant win in Guwahati.

Irfan Pathan delivered a sharp assessment of India’s performance after the Test series defeat to South Africa, stating that Marco Jansen had far greater influence than Jasprit Bumrah across both matches. Jansen earned the Player of the Match award in Guwahati for his all-round display, and Irfan argued that the South African pacer outperformed Bumrah with his bounce, control and wicket-taking ability.

“Marco Jansen outshone Bumrah in terms of impact, both in bowling and batting, the way he was getting bounce and taking wickets with bouncers, our fast bowlers – whom we consider the best – really stood out. If we agree that Bumrah is the best, then someone else must be ahead of him in terms of impact and taking wickets. That’s something to think about – that we’re a bit behind everywhere, whether it’s about combinations or skills. We were way behind,” Pathan said in a video on his YouTube channel.

Notabluy, Marco Jansen finished with 12 wickets across four innings and added a crucial 93 in Guwahati, while Jasprit Bumrah managed eight wickets and only seven runs in the series.

South Africa Win 11 of Last 12 Tests Under Bavuma

Irfan Pathan also praised South Africa’s broader performance, highlighting Temba Bavuma’s leadership as a key factor in their rise. He noted that the Proteas have now won 11 of their last 12 Tests and dominated this two-match series with strong contributions from both their seamers and spinners. Simon Harmer earned special mention for his clever changes of pace and trajectory.

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“Look, South Africa have won a home series against us after 25 years. And they completely dominated. Truly commendable. Under Temba Bavuma’s captaincy, South Africa have won 11 out of the last 12 matches. Yeah, Temba, his team definitely deserves some praise here. Their spinner is good, but Harmer stands out with his variations. There’s difference between when he bowls fast and then bowls slow, and he mixes it up with great trajectory too. All this just shows South Africa’s story, their upward graph, how far they’ve come,” Pathan said.

With this defeat, India now face an unwanted milestone, as consecutive home series defeats have not occurred since the losses to West Indies in 1983 and England in 1984–85.