New Delhi: Team India’s pacer Jasprit Bumrah is on the verge of an elusive milestone as the Men in Blue will take on England in the second semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, March 5.
The premium fast bowler is just one wicket away from becoming the fourth Indian pacer with 500 international wickets and eighth overall. Bumrah will join the likes of Anil Kumble, R Ashwin, Kapil Dev, Harbhajan Singh, Ravindra Jadeja and Zaheer Khan in the elite list.
Bumrah made his international debut in January 2016 against Australia and has taken 499 wickets in 234 international matches. So far, he has picked 234 wickets in 52 Tests. He has taken 149 wickets in 89 ODI matches and also picked up 114 wickets in 84 T20I games. Bumrah won the Player of the Tournament in the 2024 T20 World Cup after taking 15 wickets in 8 matches.
Most wickets for India in international cricket
| Player | Span | Mat | Wkts | BBI | Ave | Econ | SR |
| A Kumble | 1990-2008 | 401 | 953 | 10/74 | 30.06 | 3.11 | 57.94 |
| R Ashwin | 2010-2024 | 287 | 765 | 7/59 | 25.8 | 3.38 | 45.75 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 1998-2016 | 365 | 707 | 8/84 | 32.59 | 3.32 | 58.77 |
| N Kapil Dev | 1978-1994 | 356 | 687 | 9/83 | 28.83 | 3.05 | 56.68 |
| RA Jadeja | 2009-2026 | 373 | 634 | 7/42 | 29.7 | 3.53 | 50.47 |
| Z Khan | 2000-2014 | 303 | 597 | 7/87 | 31.48 | 3.89 | 48.49 |
| J Srinath | 1991-2003 | 296 | 551 | 8/86 | 29.11 | 3.55 | 49.07 |
| JJ Bumrah | 2016-2026 | 234 | 499 | 6/19 | 20.6 | 3.72 | 33.22 |
India face England in semifinal
Bumrah’s four-over spell will be crucial for the Men in Blue as they battle for a spot in the T20 World Cup final against England. Both teams had contrasting paths into the knockout phase of the tournament.
India and England had met in the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal, where the Three Lions defeated Rohit Sharma and Co. in Australia. After suffering a 10-wicket defeat, India then made a strong comeback to lift the 2024 title.
Playing across both countries in India and Sri Lanka, England have emphatically made it to the semifinals even when their chances seemed pretty low after a struggling start in the group-stage.
They dominated the Super 8 stage in Sri Lanka, defeating the hosts, New Zealand and Pakistan. Both sides last met in a T20I match in Mumbai last year, when Abhishek Sharma smashed the highest-ever individual score for the side.