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Indian all-rounder Axar Patel completed 200 wickets in the T20 format and joined senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in an elite company.
Patel reached this milestone during India's second T20I against Afghanistan in Indore on Sunday. In the match, Axar continued his good form with the ball, taking 2/17 in his quota of four overs. He took the wickets of skipper Ibrahim Zadran and Gulbadin Naib, who was looking dangerous after scoring a half-century. Now in his T20 career, Axar has 200 wickets at an average of 27.95 and an economy rate of 6.97. His best bowling figures are 4/21. The leading wicket-taker in T20 cricket is West Indies legend Dwayne Bravo (619 wickets in 564 matches). For India, the leading wicket-taker in T20 cricket is veteran spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (336 wickets in 290 matches). Axar is the only Indian to have both 2000-plus runs and 200 or more wickets in T20 cricket. In 234 matches, he has also scored 2,545 runs at an average of 22.52 and a strike rate of over 134 with five half-centuries. His best score is 70*. The 35-year-old Jadeja also has 3,382 runs in 310 T20s at an average of 25.42 and a strike rate of 129.33. He has just two half-centuries in 222 innings, with the best score of 62*. He has also taken 216 wickets at an average of 29.87 and an economy rate of 7.57, with the best bowling figures of 5/16. Coming to the match, India opted to field first and troubled Afghanistan with frequent wickets. Gulbadin Naib (57 in 35 balls, with five fours and four sixes) continued to play unbothered, despite wickets falling at the other end and made an attacking fifty. Short cameos from Najibullah Zadran (23 in 21 balls with a boundary and two sixes), Karim Janat (20 in 10 balls with two fours and a six) and Mujeeb ur Rahman (21 in nine balls with two fours and two sixes) powered Afghanistan to 172 in their 20 overs. Pacer Arshdeep Singh (3/32) was the pick of the bowlers for India, while Ravi Bishnoi (2/39) and Axar (2/17) also bowled well to restrict Afghanistan's run flow. Shivam Dube also took 1/36 in his three overs. In the chase of 173, skipper Rohit Sharma was once again out for a duck. But a returning Virat Kohli (29 in 16 balls, with five fours) played with a refreshing attacking intent and formed a 57-run stand with Yashasvi Jaiswal. Following Virat's dismissal, Yashasvi (68 in 34 balls, with five fours and six sixes) and Shivam Dube (63* in 32 balls with five fours and four sixes) demolished the Afghanistan bowling line-up with their hitting, putting up a 92-run partnership in just 42 balls. Rinku Singh (9*) and Shivam finished off things to give India a six-wicket win and a series win by 2-0, with one game left. Karim Janat (2/13) was the pick of the bowlers for Afghanistan. Axar was the 'Player of the Match' for his bowling spell. (ANI)
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