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Varun Chakravarthy became the third Indian bowler after Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kuldeep Yadav to take a five-wicket haul in T20Is against South Africa on Sunday.
Varun Chakravarthy becomes third Indian bowler to five-wicket haul in T20Is against South Africa. (Picture Credit: AP, AFP)
Star Indian spinner Varun Chakravarthy was on fire against South Africa on Sunday (November 10) during the second T20I played between the two teams at St. George’s Park in Gqeberha. The 33-year-old spinner picked up five wickets for 17 runs in his quota of four overs. But his efforts went in vain as India failed to defend the target of 125 runs and went on to lose the match by three wickets.
By taking his maiden five-wicket haul in T20Is on Sunday, Chakravarthy joined Kuldeep Yadav in an elite list of Indian bowlers. Chakrvarthy became the third Indian cricketer to dismiss five South African batters in a T20I match. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who hasn’t played a T20I match for India since November 2022, was the first Indian to take a five-wicket haul against South Africa. He achieved the feat by taking five wickets for 24 runs during the match played in Johannesburg on February 18, 2018.
Kuldeep equalled Bhuvneshwar’s record by accounting for the dismissal of five South African batters for 17 runs in 2.5 overs in Joburg on December 14, 2023.
Best bowling figures for India vs SA in T20Is
- 5/17 in 2.5 overs by Kuldeep Yadav in Johannesburg, 2023
- 5/17 in 4 overs by Varun Chakravarthy in Gqeberha, 2024
- 5/24 in 4 overs by Bhuvneshwar Kumar in Johannesburg, 2018
- 4/13 in 4 overs by RP Singh in Durban, 2007
- 4/13 in 4 overs by Bhuvneshwar Kumar in Cuttack, 2022
Chakravarhty’s figures of 5 for 17 are the joint-second-best figures in the shortest format of the game by an Indian spinner. Yuzvendra Chahal tops the list with his figures of 6 for 25 against England in 2017. The record of best bowling figures in T20Is against South Africa is in the name of former Pakistani pacer Umar Gul, who accounted for the dismissal of five South African batters for just six runs in Centurion in March 2013.
Varun’s 5/17 is the best figure for a bowler from a Full Member nation that ended in a defeat in T20Is. The previous best record was in the name of Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman and Australia’s Matt Short, who both picked up 5 wickets each for 22 runs against New Zealand in Kolkata 2016 and against England in Cardiff 2024, respectively.
Among Indian bowlers, the best bowling figures in a match that went against the Men in Blue were 4/13 each by Bhuvneshwar Kumar (vs. South Africa in Cuttack 2022) and Ravi Bishnoi (vs. Zimbabwe in Harare 2024).
