Arshdeep Singh made history by becoming the first Indian male cricketer to claim 100 T20I wickets on Friday. He achieved this milestone in just 64 matches when he dismissed Oman’s Vinayak Shukla during India’s final group game of the 2025 Asia Cup. This remarkable feat puts him among the elite group of 25 bowlers who have taken 100-plus wickets in T20Is.Arshdeep’s journey to this milestone has been incredibly quick. Since his debut against England in July 2022, he took just three years and 74 days to reach 100 wickets. This makes him the second-fastest fast bowler to achieve this target, only behind Bahrain’s Rizwan Butt who did it in two years and 240 days.
This achievement adds Singh to India’s list of bowling pioneers, joining Vinoo Mankad (first Indian to 100 Test wickets) and Kapil Dev (first to 100 ODI wickets).Notably, South Africa, West Indies, and Zimbabwe are the only major cricket nations yet to have a bowler in the T20I 100-wicket club.First Indians to 100 wickets:
- Tests – Vinoo Mankad in 23rd Test
- ODIs – Kapil Dev in 77th ODI
- T20Is – Arshdeep Singh in 64th T20I
Arshdeep’s bowling average of 18.37 is impressive. It’s the best among seamers from Full Member nations. Only Rizwan Butt and Oman’s Bilal Khan have better averages overall. In terms of balls bowled to reach 100 wickets, Singh ranks fourth, behind only Rashid Khan, Sandeep Lamichhane, and Wanindu Hasaranga.Singh has been particularly effective against left-handed batters. He has dismissed seven batters three or more times in T20Is, with four being left-handers from the top order. His record against Rilee Rossouw is noteworthy – three dismissals in five balls without conceding a run.The 2024 T20 World Cup proved to be Singh’s most successful tournament. He grabbed 17 wickets in eight innings with an impressive economy rate of 7.16 and an average of 12.64. His death bowling was exceptional, with nine wickets in the final overs, jointly leading the tournament. Earlier, in the 2022 T20 World Cup, he took ten wickets, emerging as India’s highest wicket-taker in both World Cup editions he played.
