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Since making his T20I debut for India against England on July 7, 2022, in Southamption, 25-year-old left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh has picked up 92 wickets.
Arshdeep Singh needs five wickets to become India’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is. (Picture Credit: PTI)
Arshdeep Singh will lead India’s bowling attack in the fourth and final T20I of the ongoing four-match series against South Africa on Friday (November 15). In the match, which is scheduled to take place at New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, Arshdeep will have a chance to create history and become India’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is. In 59 T20Is played so far, Arshdeep has 92 wickets to his name, and if he manages to take five wickets in the last match of the series, then he will break Yuvendra Chahal’s record and take the No. 1 position.
Chahal, who made his T20I debut for the Men in Blue on June 18, 2016, against Zimbabwe, has picked up 96 wickets in 80 matches played so far.
Most wickets for India in T20Is
| POSITION | PLAYER | MATCHES | WICKETS | BEST FIGURES |
| 1. | Yuzvendra Chahal | 80 | 96 | 6/25 |
| 2. | Arshdeep Singh | 59 | 92 | 4/9 |
| 3. | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 87 | 90 | 5/4 |
| 4. | Jasprit Bumrah | 70 | 89 | 3/7 |
| 5. | Hardik Pandya | 108 | 88 | 4/16 |
Apart from breaking Chahal’s record of taking most wickets for India in T20Is, Arshdeep will also have a chance to become the leading wicket-taker in T20I matches between India and South Africa. As of now, he has 15 wickets to his name in nine matches, and if he manages to take more wickets than South African spinner Keshav Maharaj in the match, he will become the sole owner of the No. 1 position.
Most wickets in India-South Africa T20Is
| POSITION | PLAYER | COUNTRY | MATCHES | WICKETS | BEST FIGURES |
| 1. | Arshdeep Singh | India | 9 | 15 | 3/32 |
| 2. | Keshav Mahraj | South Africa | 14 | 15 | 2/23 |
| 3. | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | India | 12 | 14 | 5/24 |
| 4. | Ravichandran Ashwin | India | 10 | 11 | 3/22 |
| 5. | Varun Chakravarthy | India | 3 | 10 | 5/17 |
Arshdeep, who made his T20I debut for India on July 7, 2022, against England in Southampton, has picked up 33 wickets in 17 T20Is played so far for India in 2024. If he dismisses at least five batters in Johannesburg, then he will break Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s record of taking most T20I wickets for India in a calendar year. In 32 T20Is for India in 2022, Bhuvneshwar picked up 37 wickets.
Most wickets for India in a calendar year (in T20Is)
| POSITION | PLAYER | YEAR | MATCHES | WICKETS | BEST FIGURES |
| 1. | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 2022 | 32 | 37 | 5/4 |
| 2. | Arshdeep Singh | 2024 | 17 | 33 | 4/9 |
| 3. | Arshdeep Singh | 2022 | 21 | 33 | 4/37 |
| 4. | Jasprit Bumrah | 2016 | 21 | 28 | 3/11 |
| 5. | Arshdeep Singh | 2023 | 21 | 26 | 3/20 |
The five-wicket haul in Johannesburg will also help the 25-year-old left-arm pacer from Punjab to become the first Indian bowler in history to take a fifer in both ODIs and T20Is against the Proteas.
Arshdeep, who has 12 wickets to his name in eight ODIs for India, picked up his maiden five-wicket haul in the 50-over format of the game against South Africa in Johannesburg on December 17, 2023. In that match he led India’s pace attack and picked up five wickets for 37 runs in his quota of 10 overs.
