In three T20Is played so far against South Africa in the ongoing four-match series, Varun Chakravarthy has accounted for the dismissal of 10 Proteas batters.
Varun Chakravarthy maintained his ace form in T20Is for India on Wednesday (November 13) as well during the third T20I of the ongoing four-match series played against South Africa at SuperSport Park in Centurion. The 33-year-old spinner picked up two wickets for 54 runs in his quota of four overs to help India successfully defend the total of 219 runs and win the match by 11 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
By taking two wickets in the third match, Chakravarthy has extended his tally of wickets to 10 in three matches played so far. With 10 wickets in the ongoing series, Chakravarthy became the first Indian bowler in history to take 10 wickets in a bilateral T20I series.
India’s Record for Most Wickets in a Bilateral T20I Series
- Varun Chakravarthy – 10* vs South Africa (2024)
- Ravichandran Ashwin – 9 vs Sri Lanka (2016)
- Ravi Bishnoi – 9 vs Australia (2023)
- Deepak Chahar – 8 vs Bangladesh (2019)
- Axar Patel – 8 vs Australia (2022)
- Ravi Bishnoi – 8 vs West Indies (2022)
- Yuzvendra Chahal – 8 vs Sri Lanka (2017)
- Mukesh Kumar – 8 vs Zimbabwe (2024)
- Yuzvendra Chahal – 8 vs England (2017)
- Washington Sundar – 8 vs Zimbabwe (2024)
- Shardul Thakur – 8 vs New Zealand (2020)
- Shardul Thakur – 8 vs England (2021)
Chakravarthy Joins Elite List of Indian Bowlers with Five-Wicket Hauls in T20Is Against South Africa
Chakravarthy, who made a comeback into India’s T20I team after almost three years in October 2024, picked up three wickets for 25 runs in four overs during the first T20I match played against South Africa at Kingsmead, Durban, on November 8. In the second T20I, which was played at St. George’s Park in Gqeberha on November 10, he registered his best bowling figures in T20Is for India by picking up five wickets for 17 runs in four overs.
Chakravarthy is one of the three Indian bowlers to have taken five wickets in a T20I match against South Africa. Notably, Bhuvneshwar Kumar set the record first, picking up five wickets against South Africa during the Johannesburg T20I in 2018. Then, on December 14, 2023, Kuldeep Yadav joined the elite group, equalling Kumar’s record by dismissing five Proteas batters in a T20I match played at the same venue. This remarkable feat underscores the growing depth and consistency of India’s bowling attack in the shortest format.
The overall record for the most wickets in a bilateral T20I series is held by West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder. Notably, during the five T20Is played between England and the West Indies in January 2022, Holder made an impressive impact, picking up 15 wickets. This remarkable achievement further solidified his reputation as a key player in T20I cricket.
