Arshdeep Singh vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar - comparing their stats after 61 T20Is

India seamer Arshdeep Singh became the country's joint leading wicket-taker in T20Is when he scalped Phil Salt during India's seven-wicket victory over England in the first match of the five-match series on Wednesday, January 22. Played at the historic Eden Gardens in Calcutta, India had no trouble defeating their opponents.

Left-arm pacer Arshdeep, who was also picked in the Indian squad for the ODI series against England as well as the ICC Champions Trophy slated to be held in February later this year, displayed his accuracy with the new ball as he put severe questions to the English top-order batters.

While opener Salt was the first to perish to Arshdeep in just the third ball of the match, caught behind to Sanju Samson, his partner Ben Duckett followed soon after in the third over. Arshdeep eventually finished the innings with returns of 4-0-17-2, with an extremely impressive economy rate of just 4.20. Duckett's wicket made him India's leading wicket-taker in this format.

Arshdeep recently made headlines after India captain Rohit Sharma defended his selection in the Champions Trophy squad over the experienced Mohammed Siraj. Rohit felt that Arshdeep offers more variety with the new and old ball, while Siraj's effectiveness reduces when the shine comes off.

Arshdeep repaid the faith shown in him by Sharma on Wednesday, albeit in a different format of the game; if early signs are anything to go by, he can be expected to make a big splash at the Champions Trophy as well. The Punjab youngster has played just eight ODIs so far in his career, but a lot is expected from him.

It is, however, in T20Is that the 25-year-old has displayed his potential to the fullest. He has already turned up for the Men in Blue on 61 occasions in the shortest format of the game and picked up 97 wickets, which, as mentioned earlier, is the highest for any Indian so far in twenty-over cricket at the international level.

Leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who was earlier India's leading wicket-taker in this format with 96 scalps, has now been surpassed by the Punjab seamer. While Chahal achieved the feat in 80 outings for the Men in Blue, Arshdeep has done it in relatively fewer matches, 61, bowling at an average of 17.91 and an economy of 8.20.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has picked up 90 wickets so far in his career

Bhuvneshwar Kumar looks on during an India training session ahead of the New Zealand and India T20 International series, at Basin Reserve on November 16, 2022, in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

Swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, another player who has made India proud in the shortest format of the game, comes fourth on this list of leading wicket-takers with 90 scalps to his name. The Uttar Pradesh seamer has played in 87 matches for India in this format, but sadly, he has not been picked for the senior team since 2022.

Bhuvneshwar last played for India against New Zealand in Napier in 2022 and has unfortunately not been on the selectors' radar since. In his prime, he was one of the best swing bowlers in the world, getting the ball to move both ways and troubling both right-handers and southpaws. He added some extra ammo to his arsenal by becoming relatively quick too.

In the 87 matches for India, Bhuvneshwar has bowled with an average of 23.10 and an extremely impressive economy of 6.96. Although he was primarily seen as a red-ball bowler, an extended stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League molded him into a modern-day limited-overs specialist.

If one were to compare both Arshdeep and Bhuvneshwar's statistics, the most interesting factor is that the latter has picked up two five-wicket hauls in his career, including a best of 5-4 against Afghanistan in the 2022 Asia Cup. Arshdeep, however, does not have a single five-wicket haul to his name. His best figures of 4-9 came against the USA in the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Bhuvneshwar had picked up 63 wickets by the time he played his 61st T20I match against South Africa in Cuttack in June 2022, and he celebrated it with a four-wicket haul. He scalped the likes of Reeza Hendricks, Dwayne Pretorius, Rassie van der Dussen, and Wayne Parnell, ending with figures of 4-13. India, however, lost the match by four wickets.

Comparatively, Arshdeep has been far more prolific so far, picking up 97 wickets, which is 34 more than what Bhuvneshwar had claimed after playing the same number of matches (61). Bhuvneshwar's economy rate at that time, however, was 6.99, which is better than Arshdeep's 8.24. His average was 24.06, which is, meanwhile, significantly lower than Arshdeep's 17.90.

The two seamers have come to represent the glowing ambitions of the Indian team, and deserve to be respected and admired for the mastery they have seemingly gained over their respected trades.