Arshdeep Singh Reaches 150 T20I Wickets as New Zealand Defeats India

India pacer Arshdeep Singh reached a historic milestone on Friday during the fourth T20 International against New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland, becoming the first Indian bowler to take 150 wickets in T20 International cricket. The left-arm fast bowler achieved the feat by dismissing New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner in the penultimate over, reaching the landmark in his 103rd match and 99th innings.

Despite the personal milestone, it was a difficult day for the visiting side as New Zealand secured an 87-run victory to register its first win of the series. Even with the loss, India holds an irreversible 3-1 lead heading into the final match of the series on November 1 at Seddon Park in Hamilton.

New Zealand posted a mammoth total of 259 for 7, the highest T20I total against India by any team. The hosts were powered by an explosive century from Glenn Phillips, who smashed 107 runs off just 49 balls, and a blistering 65 off 25 balls from Michael Bracewell. The pair combined for a devastating 115-run partnership off 41 balls during the middle overs.

India's bowling attack struggled against the aggressive New Zealand batting lineup, with all bowlers conceding runs except for Arshdeep, who finished his four-over spell with figures of 1 for 38 and maintained an economy rate under ten. Mayank Yadav was India's most successful bowler with three wickets, while Prince Yadav, Axar Patel, and Nitish Kumar Reddy claimed one wicket each.

In response, India's run chase collapsed under a fiery opening spell from Jacob Duffy. The New Zealand fast bowler rattled the visitors early by dismissing Sanju Samson for 4 and Ishan Kishan for a duck in the opening over. Duffy continued to dismantle the batting order, finishing with impressive figures of 4 wickets for 23 runs in his four overs.

The Indian chase failed to gain momentum as wickets fell steadily under a rising required run rate. Captain Shreyas Iyer and Abhishek Sharma attempted a brief recovery with a 46-run third-wicket stand, but Abhishek fell for 27 before Iyer was bowled by Adam Milne. Tilak Varma top-scored for the visitors with 35 runs as India was eventually bowled out for 172 in 20 overs.

With his 150th dismissal, Arshdeep moved into ninth place on the all-time list of leading wicket-takers in T20I cricket and joined Tim Southee and Mustafizur Rahman as only the third fast bowler to reach the milestone. Furthermore, the Indian pacer established a new record for the most T20I wickets taken by a bowler from a Full Member nation in a single calendar year, bringing his tally for 2026 to 40 wickets.