Hardik Pandya: 11 Wickets Away from a Historic T20I Milestone
India will play England in a five-match T20I series. It starts January 22 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. It is highly anticipated. All eyes are on all-rounder Hardik Pandya. He needs 11 more wickets to be the first Indian to reach a T20I milestone.
Pandya, back after a six-month break, is key to Team India. His batting and bowling have made a big impact. With 1700 runs and 89 wickets in T20Is, Pandya could make history. He would be the first Indian all-rounder to score 1500+ runs and take 100 wickets in the shortest format.
A Milestone That Sets Pandya Apart
Achieving this feat will place Hardik Pandya in elite company. He will be only the second cricketer in T20I history to cross this benchmark. The first was Bangladesh’s legendary all-rounder, Shakib Al Hasan. Shakib has 2551 runs and 149 wickets. He is the standard for T20I all-rounders.
Other Key Indian Performers Eyeing Records
Pandya isn’t the only Indian cricketer closing in on a milestone. Arshdeep Singh is Team India’s second-highest wicket-taker in T20Is, with 95 wickets. He is five away from being the first Indian to reach 100 T20I wickets. He needs just two wickets to surpass Yuzvendra Chahal (96). Then, he will top India’s all-time T20I wicket-takers list.
Indians with the Most T20I Wickets:
Yuzvendra Chahal: 96
Arshdeep Singh: 95
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 90
Jasprit Bumrah: 89
Hardik Pandya: 89
India’s Squad for the England T20I Series
The Indian squad, led by Suryakumar Yadav, is packed with talent and a mix of youth and experience. Here’s the complete lineup:
Suryakumar Yadav (C)
Sanju Samson (WK)
Abhishek Sharma
Tilak Varma
Hardik Pandya
Rinku Singh
Nitish Kumar Reddy
Axar Patel (VC)
Harshit Rana
Arshdeep Singh
Mohammad Shami
Varun Chakravarthy
Ravi Bishnoi
Washington Sundar
Dhruv Jurel (WK)