Christchurch, Oct 24: India left-arm star bowler Arshdeep Singh achieved a significant milestone during the second T20I against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval here on Saturday as he became India's leading wicket-taker in T20Is in a calendar year.
Arshdeep took 2-33 in the second match to achieve the feat as he now has 38 wickets in 2026. He surpassed newly-returned Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the record as Bhuvi had taken 37 wickets in 2022, the year he represented India last before his recent comeback.
Arshdeep continued his strong year and reiterated his worth in the format with this milestone. He got the wickets of Tim Seifert early and Glenn Phillips later in the innings to own the record for India.
The left-arm seamer needed 26 innings for his 38 scalps, while Bhuvi took 37 wickets in 2022 in 31 innings. Arshdeep now has the third-most wickets by players from full-member nations in a single year. He stands behind Ireland's Josh Little and Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga.
Most wickets in a calendar year in T20Is (full-member teams):
39 - Josh Little in 2022
38 - Wanindu Hasaranga in 2024
38 - Arshdeep Singh in 2026
37 - Bhuvneshwar Kumar in 2022
Arshdeep's early strike helped India keep New Zealand to 43/3 at the end of the powerplay as Bhuvi and Prince Yadav also got wickets. The left-armer then also took the crucial wicket of Glenn Phillips, who made a strong 70 from 43 balls and partnered with Bevon Jacobs to take the hosts to 180/5 in their 20 overs.
With New Zealand's backs against the wall at 41/3 after 5.2 overs, Phillips (70 off 43 balls) and Jacobs (58 off 46 balls) put up a fighting 116-run partnership for the fourth wicket to lead the comeback for the hosts in the second match, which was played on the same venue and the same pitch as that run-scoring first T20I.
--IANS