New Zealand white-ball captain and premier spinner Mitchell Santner has etched his name into the record books with an outstanding bowling display against India. During the fourth T20 International, the left-arm spinner became the most successful bowler against India in the history of the shortest format. Santner delivered an economical spell, conceding just 24 runs across his four overs while claiming two crucial wickets, surpassing the long-standing record held by his compatriot Ish Sodhi.
Decisive First-Over Double Strike
Santner made an instant impact as soon as he was introduced into the bowling attack. On the very first delivery of his opening over, he dismissed Nitish Kumar Reddy to open his account. Just three balls later, on the fourth delivery of the same over, he removed Axar Patel to deliver a massive blow to the Indian batting order. This twin strike elevated Santner's tally to 32 wickets in 31 T20 Internationals against India. Notably, he also holds the distinction of being the only bowler in world cricket to have registered two separate four-wicket hauls in a single innings against India in T20Is. Across the ongoing series, Santner has maintained strict control, picking up 7 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 7.
Top Wicket-Takers Against India in T20Is
Prior to this encounter, the benchmark for the most T20I wickets taken against India belonged to New Zealand leg-spinner Ish Sodhi, who had accumulated 30 wickets in 25 matches. The leaderboard for bowlers with the highest dismissals against India now stands as follows
- Chris Jordan: The England fast bowler occupies the third spot with 24 scalps to his credit.
- Jofra Archer: England pacer Jofra Archer sits in fourth position with 22 wickets.
- Adil Rashid: England leg-spinner Adil Rashid is tied alongside Archer with 22 wickets against India.
Milestone Reached for New Zealand Cricket
Removing Nitish Kumar Reddy did not just hand Santner the head-to-head record against India; it also marked a major milestone in New Zealand cricket history. With that dismissal, Santner became only the third bowler from New Zealand to breach the 150-wicket mark in men's T20 Internationals. He joined an elite group that previously featured only veteran pacer Tim Southee and leg-spinner Ish Sodhi, completing a memorable double achievement in a single fixture.
All-Time Records Against a Single Opponent
Across the broader landscape of T20 International cricket, the absolute record for the most wickets taken against a single opposition belongs to Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan. Rashid has dismantled Ireland by taking 45 wickets in just 21 matches, and he remains the only bowler in the world to have reached 200 total T20I wickets. England's Adil Rashid follows in second place with 42 dismissals in 26 games against the West Indies.
Henry Ssenyondo of Uganda has also recorded 42 wickets in 20 matches against Rwanda, while Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf has collected 40 wickets across 20 T20Is against New Zealand. Among Indian bowlers dominating a specific opponent, Arshdeep Singh leads the charts, having claimed 25 wickets in 15 T20 Internationals against South Africa.
