India cricket team all-rounder Axar Patel is on the verge of creating history as he is set to become the first Indian spinner to take 100 T20I wickets. The southpaw has the chance to do so in the ENG vs IND 2nd T20I set to take place at Manchester’s Old Trafford on Saturday as the Men in Blue look to return to winning ways. Patel has bagged 99 wickets so far from 97 T20Is and averages 21.60 with the ball in the shortest format of the game.
Axar Patel to become first Indian spinner to take 100 T20I wickets
Should he pick one more wicket in the ENG vs IND 1st T20I, then Axar will become the first Indian spinner to take 100 wickets in T20Is. The other spinners who are behind him on the list include an out-of-favour Yuzvendra Chahal (96), Kuldeep Yadav (95) and Varun Chakravarthy (73). Axar will also become the fourth Indian bowler to take 100 wickets in the shortest format of the game, joining Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya on the elite list.
| Player | Mat | Wkts | Ave | Econ |
| Axar Patel | 97 | 99 | 21.60 | 7.40 |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | 80 | 96 | 25.09 | 8.19 |
| Kuldeep Yadav | 54 | 95 | 13.74 | 6.95 |
| Varun chakravarthy | 46 | 73 | 16.61 | 7.55 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 65 | 72 | 23.22 | 6.90 |
| Ravi Bishnoi | 45 | 64 | 19.51 | 7.40 |
Axar Patel made his T20I debut in 2015 against Zimbabwe. He played very limited number of games until 2021 following which he became a regular in India’s T20I setup. The southpaw has been a part of three T20 World Cup campaigns, and is a two-time WC winner (2024 and 2026). Patel has gone on to become India’s go-to spin all-rounder at both home and overseas conditions. Apart from delivering the ball, Axar is also tasked with the responsibility of contributing with the bat down the order.
Out of the 99 wickets that Axar has picked so far in his T20I career, 55 of them have come from games played in India. It is pertinent to point out that Patel has played just two matches in England so far and his 100th T20I wicket will also be his first on English soil.
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