Jasprit Bumrah Breaks New Ground, Becomes India’s First to 100 T20I Wickets
Jasprit Bumrah becomes the first Indian to reach 100 T20I wickets, joining the elite all-format 100-wicket club.
Jasprit Bumrah etched his name into cricket’s history on Tuesday night, becoming the first Indian bowler—and only the fifth in the world—to claim 100 or more wickets across all three international formats during India’s crushing 101-run victory over South Africa in the first T20I at Barabati Stadium.
The 31-year-old pace spearhead reached the landmark in style, trapping South African opener Dewald Brevis lbw in his second over to pick up his 100th T20I scalp in just his 81st match. Moments later, he clean-bowled Keshav Maharaj to finish with figures of 2/17 as South Africa collapsed to their lowest-ever T20I total of 74, handing India a 1-0 series lead. With the wicket, Bumrah joined an ultra-elite club previously occupied by Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka), Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh), Tim Southee (New Zealand), and Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pakistan)—a testament to his extraordinary longevity and dominance across Tests (234 wickets in 52 matches), ODIs (149 in 89), and now T20Is (101 in 81).
No Indian bowler has ever scaled such all-format heights before. Bumrah’s numbers become even more staggering when viewed through the lens of economy and average: he remains the only bowler in history to maintain a sub-20 average and sub-7 economy in T20Is among those with 50+ wickets, while his Test average of 20.18 is the best ever for any fast bowler with 200-plus wickets. His ability to deliver yorkers, slower cutters, and searing bouncers with pinpoint accuracy in every format has redefined modern seam bowling.
The milestone arrived on a night when India’s bowling unit collectively ran riot. Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Axar Patel claimed two wickets each, while Hardik Pandya chipped in with a wicket on his return, but it was Bumrah’s spell that set the tone, reducing South Africa to 28/3 inside the powerplay. His dismissal of Brevis—a full inswinger that tailed back sharply—drew roars from a packed Cuttack crowd and sparked jubilant celebrations from teammates who recognise the magnitude of what their leader has achieved.
Bumrah now stands alone as India’s representative in the exclusive ‘100-wicket treble’ club, a feat made more remarkable by the fact that he has played fewer matches across formats than all four previous members. With the 2026 T20 World Cup barely six months away, his continued fitness and form offer India their most potent weapon in the defence of the title they won in 2024.
As the series moves to New Chandigarh for the second T20I on December 12, Bumrah’s place in the pantheon is secure—but the quiet assassin from Ahmedabad shows no signs of slowing down, already eyeing the next frontier in a career that continues to rewrite record books.
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