India’s left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh on Saturday surpassed Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s national record for the most wickets by an Indian bowler in T20 Internationals in a calendar year.
Arshdeep achieved the milestone after returning figures of 2 for 33 in the second T20I against New Zealand. His tally for 2026 has now reached 38 wickets, one more than Bhuvneshwar’s 37 wickets in 2022.
Interestingly, 2022 was also the year when the veteran pacer from Meerut was dropped from the Indian team.
Arshdeep reached the landmark in just 26 innings, compared with Bhuvneshwar’s 31 innings.
Arshdeep Eyes World Record
With three matches remaining in the series, the 27-year-old is now closing in on the world record for the most T20I wickets by a bowler in a single calendar year.
Arshdeep needs two more wickets to surpass Ireland’s Joshua Little, who claimed 39 wickets in 2022. However, it is worth noting that most of Little’s wickets that year came against Associate Nations.
Despite primarily being a specialist in one format, Arshdeep has consistently delivered with the ball. He has also crossed the 30-wicket mark in a calendar year on two previous occasions, taking 33 wickets in 2022 and 36 in 2024.
Tilak Varma Powers India to Four-Wicket Win
Meanwhile, Tilak Varma produced a match-winning unbeaten knock of 51 off just 26 balls to guide India to a thrilling four-wicket victory over New Zealand in the second T20I in Christchurch on Saturday.
India were in trouble at 70 for five while chasing the target, but Tilak held his nerve to steer the visitors home with one ball to spare.