Yuzvendra Chahal could go on to join the elite list of Indian bowlers who have 50 or more wickets in T20Is when India take on Bangladesh in the third T20I at Nagpur on Sunday.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah are the only bowlers at the moment in that list for India. While Ashwin has 52 wickets at an average of 22.94 in 46 matches, Bumrah has 51 wickets in 42 T20Is at a slightly better average of 20.17.
Chahal is on 49 wickets now and three more wickets in this match will place him as the highest wicket-taker for India in the format along with Ashwin. In fact, his wickets have come at a better strike-rate of 15.8 than that of Ashwin (19.7) and Bumrah (18.0).
Moreover, the leg-spinner has been in excellent bowling form in the ongoing series against Bangladesh. He followed up his spell of 4-0-24-1 in the first T20I with another good spell of 4-0-28-2 in the second match. His series wicket tally stands at three at a mean economy rate of 6.50.
It was his spell in the previous match that turned the game in India’s favour. Bangladesh were going all guns blazing as they had notched up a score of 97 for 2 in 12 overs. But Chahal struck twice in the 13th over and Bangladesh could never recover from that position. The Tigers could add just 56 runs in the next eight overs at a run-rate of only 7.00 and their total of 153 was comfortably chased down by the Indian batsmen later on.