Arshdeep Singh on the brink of T20I HISTORY, just THREE wickets away to become…

India secured a decisive victory against England in the first T20I at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The Indian bowlers excelled on a flat pitch, dismissing England for just 132 runs. Arshdeep Singh initiated the attack by taking the wickets of Phil Salt and Ben Duckett, while Varun Chakravarthy delivered a standout performance, earning the ‘Man of the Match’ title with three wickets for 23 runs, significantly undermining England’s batting lineup. Additionally, Arshdeep Singh set a remarkable record by becoming India’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is, surpassing Yuzvendra Chahal’s previous tally of 96 wickets.

Arshdeep, currently with 97 wickets, has the opportunity to set a significant record in the upcoming second T20I at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. He requires just three more wickets to become the quickest fast bowler to achieve 100 wickets in T20I history. The existing record for the fastest to reach 100 T20I wickets among fast bowlers is held by Haris Rauf, who accomplished this feat in 71 matches. Arshdeep has played 61 matches, meaning he has 10 T20Is left to surpass Rauf and claim the top spot.

If Arshdeep takes three wickets, he will rank as the third fastest bowler to achieve this milestone. Rashid Khan holds the record for the quickest to reach 100 T20I wickets in 53 matches, while Sandeep Lamichhane follows closely with 100 wickets in 54 matches. Wanindu Hasaranga is currently in third place with 100 wickets in 63 games.

It was unexpected that Mohammed Shami was left out of the playing XI for the first T20I, and he may also be absent from the second match. The pitch in Chennai is expected to favor spinners, which could lead India to maintain the same lineup. Since Shami is returning from an injury, India may prefer to take their time before including him in the XI, particularly with the Champions Trophy approaching in a few weeks.