Abu Dhabi [UAE], September 20 : Arshdeep Singh became the first Indian to scalp 100 T20I wickets and overall the third-fastest after his exploits during the final group stage clash against Oman at the ongoing Asia Cup in Abu Dhabi.
While Arshdeep savoured the landmark moment, stylish all-rounder Hardik Pandya went level with Yuzvendra Chahal to become the joint second-highest wicket-taker for the country in the format. On a night when wickets remain scarce for India, Arshdeep and Hardik dug deep and conjured wicket-taking deliveries to carve their name in the history books.
Arshdeep, a 26-year-old left-arm quick, had to wait till the final over to enjoy the special moment. On the first ball of the 20th over, he banged the ball short, and Vinayak Shukla went big with the pull shot, but fell short of getting the desired elevation. He holed it straight to substitute fielder Rinku Singh and became the first Indian player to reach the three-figure mark.
In the international circuit, Arshdeep, who made his debut three years ago, took just 64 matches to reach the feat, the fastest among the fast bowlers, surpassing Pakistan tearaway Haris Rauf's tally of 71. Overall, he is third in the list after Afghanistan's premier spinner Rashid Khan (53) and Wanindu Hasaranga (63).
Arshdeep has 100 scalps across his name in 64 appearances at 18.49. Before Arshdeep, Pandya opened his wicket account with a short-ball ploy and dismissed Hammad Mirza, who holed it to Rinku and returned after a quick-fire 51(33). Pandya has 96 wickets under his belt in 117 matches at 26.61 and now stands level with Chahal.
During Oman's pursuit of a 189-run target, Mirza injected the much-needed impetus with Aamir Kaleem. Throughout the chase, Kaleem, a 43-year-old veteran, kept Oman's hopes of pulling off an upset alive with his composed presence. He finished with 64(46) and became the oldest to notch a 50-plus score in the T20 Asia Cup, toppling Mohammad Nabi from the summit, who struck 60 against Sri Lanka earlier in the tournament.
India remained clinical in its approach despite leaking a handful of boundaries in the middle overs. With a 21-run victory, India kept its unbeaten streak in the tournament intact and will now square off against Pakistan on Sunday in Dubai.