India seamer Arshdeep Singh playfully apologized to wrist spinner Yuzvendra Chahal for breaking his record during India's first T20I against England on Wednesday, January 22 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Arshdeep overtook Chahal as India's leading wicket-taker in T20Is after dismissing Ben Duckett for four runs.
Duckett was Arshdeep's 97th wicket in the format, helping him break Chahal's record of 96 wickets. The left-arm seamer achieved the milestone in just 61 innings after making his debut in July 2022.
After breaking his teammate's record, Arshdeep even apologized to Chahal in a video published by the BCCI. The Punjabi seamer gripped both ears and smiled cheekily.
“It feels great, I’m grateful that my hardwork has paid off and I will try to continue taking wickets for the country,” said Arshdeep in a video released by BCCI.
Arshdeep commended Varun Chakravarthy for his ability to take wickets in the middle overs, which provided him with a solid base to bowl against the lower-order batters in the death.
“Varun is bowling exceptionally these days, as it’s extremely crucial to take lower-order middle overs in T20Is. If the batters don’t get out at that time, they can accelerate later, making it difficult to bowl at the death. But since Varun has come he’s taken a lot of wickets in the middle overs and has given us a good platform to bowl at the death against the lower order. I hope he continues to take wickets like this,” he added.
Varun Chakravarthy received the Player of the Match in India’s 7-wicket win for taking 3/23, including Jos Buttler, Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone's wickets. India chased down the target in just 12.5 overs courtesy of Abhishek Sharma’s breathtaking innings of 79 (34) with 5 fours and 8 sixes.
