Abu Dhabi: Arshdeep Singh etched his name in the record books, becoming the first Indian to take 100 T20I wickets—and the third-fastest overall—during India’s final group-stage clash against Oman at the ongoing Asia Cup in Abu Dhabi.
While Arshdeep celebrated his milestone, stylish all-rounder Hardik Pandya matched Yuzvendra Chahal to become India’s joint second-highest wicket-taker in T20Is. On a day when wickets were hard to come by, both bowlers delivered with precision, crafting key breakthroughs for their team.
The 26-year-old left-arm pacer had to wait until the final over to achieve the landmark. On the first ball of the 20th over, he bowled a short delivery to Vinayak Shukla, who attempted a big pull shot but mistimed it, sending a simple catch to substitute fielder Rinku Singh—Arshdeep’s 100th T20I wicket.
In just 64 matches, Arshdeep achieved the milestone faster than any other fast bowler, surpassing Pakistan’s Haris Rauf, who reached 100 wickets in 71 games. Overall, he is the third-fastest in the world, behind Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan (53 matches) and Wanindu Hasaranga (63). Arshdeep now has 100 wickets at an average of 18.49.
Earlier in the match, Pandya had opened his wicket account with a clever short-ball dismissal of Hammad Mirza, caught by Rinku Singh after a brisk 51 off 33 balls. Pandya now has 96 wickets in 117 matches at 26.61, tying him with Chahal in India’s T20I records.
During Oman’s chase of 189, Hammad Mirza and veteran Aamir Kaleem provided resistance. The 43-year-old Kaleem played a composed innings of 64 off 46 balls, becoming the oldest player to score a fifty in the T20 Asia Cup, surpassing Mohammad Nabi, who had scored 60 against Sri Lanka earlier in the tournament.
Despite conceding some boundaries in the middle overs, India remained clinical and secured a 21-run victory, maintaining their unbeaten streak in the tournament. The Men in Blue will next face Pakistan on Sunday in Dubai.
