Dharamshala: Seam bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya has become the third Indian bowler to claim 100 wickets in men’s T20I, a landmark he achieved during the ongoing match against South Africa at the HPCA Stadium on Sunday.
Before Sunday’s game, Pandya had 99 wickets from 122 matches at an average of 26.81 and an economy rate of 8.24. His best figures in T20Is are 4-16, coming against New Zealand in Ahmedabad in 2023, after making his debut in the format against Australia in Adelaide in January 2016.
At Dharamsala, Pandya reached the milestone of 100 wickets by dismissing Tristan Stubbs in the seventh over. Stubbs attempted to guide a back-of-a-length delivery pitched outside off stump from Pandya towards third man, but only managed to nick behind to wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma.
With this, Pandya has followed pacers Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah into entering the 100-wicket club in men’s T20Is. Bumrah, who is unavailable for the ongoing game in Dharamsala due to personal reasons, had achieved the feat earlier in the T20I series opener at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack by removing Dewald Brevis.
Pandya, 32, is also the first Indian men’s player and seam-bowling all-rounder to be a member of a rare club – picking 100 wickets and amassing 1000 runs in T20Is. This milestone was previously achieved only by spin-bowling all-rounders: Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan, Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi and Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza.
With the bat, he has amassed 1939 runs at an average of 28.10 and a strike rate of 141.53. Pandya, a member of the Indian team winning 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, has also become only the fourth men’s cricketer to record the double of 100 sixes and take 100 wickets in the format. Before him, Nabi, Raza and Malaysia’s Virandeep Singh were in the elite list.
(IANS)
