By Ivashree Saxena
“Arshdeep’s 100th scalp came in Muscat, placing him in elite global company alongside Rashid Khan and Tim Southee.”
There are cricket records that appear as mere digits. On Friday night in Muscat, Arshdeep Singh gave Indian cricket one of those moments. With a full delivery that sent Omani skipper Zeeshan Maqsood’s stumps cartwheeling, the 26-year-old seamer from Punjab became the first Indian to claim 100 wickets in men’s T20 internationals.
The celebrations were pure – no theatrics, just a wide grin as his teammates rushed in. India went on to beat Oman by 21 runs in their Asia Cup group game, but the real story was the young left-armer’s quiet entry into cricket’s record books.
Since his debut in July 2022, Arshdeep has taken on some of the toughest responsibilities in T20 cricket. He opens the bowling, swings it both ways and then comes back to close the innings with yorkers. Across 73 matches, he now has 100 wickets at an average of 22.1, a strike rate of 15.8, and an economy rate of 7.8. For context, Yuzvendra Chahal’s 96 wickets from 80 games had been the Indian benchmark until now.
On a global stage, there’s only a handful of players who stand ahead of him – Rashid Khan (144) from Afghanistan tops the list, followed by Tim Southee (134) and Shakib Al Hasan (133). For Arshdeep to join this group at just 26 hints how much more lies ahead in his journey.
His journey has been steady rather than flashy. As India’s top wicket-taker in the 2022 T20 World Cup, he has established himself as Rohit Sharma’s trusted opinion in pressure moments. Friday’s milestone felt like a natural extension of that trust.
For India, the Asia Cup campaign rolls on with sterner tests ahead. For Arshdeep Singh, the 100-wicket mark is less a finish line than a checkpoint, a reminder that the boy from Punjab has only just begun to write his fast bowling story.