To put it in simple words, T20I is a batsman’s game. Ever since the inception of the format, everyone’s perception has been in this direction. In fact, even ICC’s rules sometimes hint that the cricketing body is also looking at T20I’s like a batsman’s format.
In a T20I encounter, a bowler gets only 24 balls to impact a game. It is a very modest platform for a bowler to exhibit his skills. However, on multiple occasions, we have seen players pick as many as six wickets within these 24 balls. Not only in the ODI’s, but a six-wicket haul is also a rarity even in the red-ball version. In such a scenario, a four-over performance resulting in six scalps in a T20I encounter is a distinctive achievement. We talk about four players who have achieved the feat so far.
1. Deepak Chahar
6 for 7 vs Bangladesh, 2019
Deepak Chahar‘s spell of 6/7 is by far the best bowling figure in a T20I game. The performance happened in the third game between India and Bangladesh back in 2019. Batting first, with the help of Shreyas Iyer’s 62, India put up a decent total of 174. India was playing an inexperienced bowling line-up, and the then not-so-experienced Deepak Chahar was the leader of the pace attack.
The CSK seamer appeared in excellent form that evening. He ran through Bangladesh’s line-up in a whiff, picking up six wickets and giving away just seven runs. All of this occurred within a span of 20 deliveries.
2. Ajantha Mendis
6 for 8 vs Zimbabwe, 2012 and 6 for 16 vs Australia, 2011
Ajantha Mendis was a special cricketer. Probably no other player had such an impact in a short time than the Sri Lankan mystery spinner at his peak. He mastered a few tricks which batsmen could just not read. Hence, he was a massive force in the T20I format.
At the time when he was playing his best cricket, Mendis picked up six-wicket hauls on two occasions. While the first happened against Australia in 2011, the next came a year later against Zimbabwe. Against the former team, he maintained an economy of 4.0, and the stat was just 2.0 against the African opponents.
3. Yuzvendra Chahal
6 for 27 vs England, 2017
Bengaluru always produces high-scoring encounters. It was one such day, and India’s opponents were from England. Batting first, the men in blue posted a total of 202, thereby setting a stiff target for the Three Lions.
Yuzvendra Chahal had already made a name for himself as a wily leg-spinner. In this particular game, everything that came off Yuzi’s hand threatened the existence of the English batsmen. The six scalps comprised established names like Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes and Sam Billings. Most of the wickets came against the run of play, essentially due to the leggie’s intelligence at that point in the game.
4. Ashton Agar
6 for 30 vs New Zealand, 2021
Australia had lost two games in the series and had to win the match to stay in the competition. It is in this situation that Ashton Agar delivered his best T20I show. The all-rounder had always gone under the radar, but in this game, the spotlight was all on him.
The left-arm spinner took six-wickets in the game and was responsible for the end of the Kiwi middle-order. Some of Agar’s prized scalps in this game were Devon Conway, Glenn Philips and James Neesham. Australia eventually won the game convincingly.
