Axar Patel is not a loud cricketer. He doesn’t bowl super fast or break stumps in half. He just puts the ball in the right spot again and again, and slowly the wickets add up. On Saturday at Old Trafford, they added up to a big number. He got to 100 wickets in T20 internationals. No Indian spinner had ever done that before.
The moment at a glance
| Detail | What happened |
|---|---|
| Milestone | 100th T20I wicket |
| Where | Old Trafford, Manchester |
| Match | 2nd T20I vs England, 2026 |
| The 100th wicket | England captain Harry Brook |
| Big first | First Indian spinner to 100 T20I wickets |
The wicket that got him there
He started the match on 99 wickets, so everyone knew one more would do it. And he got a good one. Axar bowled out England’s captain Harry Brook, right when India needed a wicket to fight back into the game. Number 100, and the England skipper’s name next to it. Not a bad way to finish the job.
The club he just joined
Only a few Indians have ever taken 100 wickets in T20 internationals. Before Axar, all of them were fast bowlers. He is the first spinner from India to get there.
| Indian bowler | T20I wickets | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Arshdeep Singh | 131 | Fast |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 121 | Fast |
| Hardik Pandya | 114 | Fast |
| Axar Patel | 100 | Spin |
(Numbers are approximate and keep growing as they play more games.)
In a format where spinners are often just trying not to get hit, that’s a rare thing to pull off. He is also getting close to MS Dhoni’s number of T20I games for India, which is nice company to keep.
Why a spinner lasts this long in T20
The answer is simple. Batters find it very hard to hit him. Axar’s whole game is control. He bowls flat and quick, so the batter gets almost no room to swing the bat, and has to take a big risk to score. Do that for years and the runs dry up, and the wickets come.
Look at his economy rate. It stays in the low-to-mid sevens, which is very good for T20. Many bowlers would happily go for eight an over. Axar gives away less than that, year after year. That’s why his captain can throw him the ball at almost any time.
| Axar in T20Is | Quick view |
|---|---|
| Role | Left-arm spin all-rounder |
| Style | Flat, fast, very accurate |
| Economy rate | Around 7 an over |
| Extra job | Lower-order batting |
| Team role | Former India’s T20I vice-captain |
He is not just a bowler
India also love him because he does more than one job. He bats, and he has got better at it, happy to come in lower down and hit a few big shots when needed. He was a big part of India’s T20 World Cup wins, helping with both bat and ball. One of his best spells even came in a World Cup final, with three wickets under huge pressure.
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That is why he became India’s T20I vice-captain, and why he keeps his spot even when the team changes around him.
What it really tells us
Hitting 100 is not just a nice round number. It shows how much a good, tight spell is worth in this game. People love raw pace and mystery spin, and then there is Axar, doing it with accuracy and a smart cricket brain and almost no bad days.
And true to who he is, after the Brook wicket there were no wild celebrations. A smile, a quick word with his teammates, and back to his mark for the next ball. That is Axar in one picture.
FAQ
Has Axar Patel reached 100 T20I wickets?
Yes. He got there against England at Old Trafford and became the first Indian spinner to do it.
Who was his 100th T20I wicket?
England captain Harry Brook, in the second T20I of the 2026 series in Manchester.
Which Indians had 100 T20I wickets before him?
Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya. All three are fast bowlers, so Axar is the first spinner.
Why is he so hard to hit in T20s?
He bowls flat and very accurate with a tight economy rate, so batters struggle to score off him at any stage.
What else does he give the team?
He is a real all-rounder, a useful lower-order batter, and Former India’s T20I vice-captain.
