India vs West Indies: Yuzvendra Chahal one wicket away from setting T20I record for India

Spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is on cusp of setting a new T20I record for India when he takes to the field against West Indies in second match of the series at Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. India lead the three-match series 1-0 following their emphatic six-wicket at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad on Friday. The hosts will now look to take an unassailable lead in series and continue their glorious run on home soil.

Also Read: Kohli 25 runs away from becoming 1st Indian to achieve huge T20I milestone

For that to happen, tweaker Chahal will once again have to play a crucial role with the ball. In Hyderabad, Chahal picked up the crucial wickets of Shimron Hetmyer and Kieron Pollard to stop Windies from scoring even further than 207.

Chahal is also on the threshold of a fine milestone as he needs just one wickets to become the highest wicket-taker for India in the shortest format. He is currently tied with Ravichandran Ashwin at the top spot with 52 scalps each. One more wicket will help the leggie become the outright top spot holder in this illustrious list.

Also Read: ‘Don’t tease Virat Kohli,’ Amitabh Bachchan warns Windies bowlers

Most T20I wickets for India

52 wickets in 35 matches: Yuzvendra Chahal

52 wickets in 46 matches: R Ashwin

51 wickets in 42 matches: Jasprit Bumrah

Next stop of the three-match T20 action is further down south, at the Greenfield stadium in Karyavattom, Thiruvananthapuram. West Indies may struggle to spell or pronounce that right but more importantly, they would be happy their cricket wasn’t too far off the mark in the series opener.

A number of batsmen brought their A-game to Hyderabad to give India a scare until Virat Kohli rose to the game to take India home.

Also Read: 9 players out for duck, 7 extras, team total 8:Bizarre cricket match at SAG

Both sides need to sort out a few areas. First and foremost, they need to get their cooling-down sessions right. These three T20Is are cramped in a six-day window, making it resemble a congested leg of an IPL season.

A three-day break between two games used to be the norm, with bilaterals in India involving vast travel. With the cricket calendar becoming busier, the extra rest day has become the first casualty.