Arshdeep Singh found himself at the centre of an unusual record on Thursday as he bowled the longest over by an Indian in T20I history during the second India-South Africa clash in New Chandigarh. The left-arm pacer sent down a marathon 13-ball over, filled with seven wides, in what turned into a costly 18-run passage of play for India in the 11th over of South Africa’s innings.
The over not only set a new India record but also tied the mark for the longest over ever bowled by a player from a Full-Member nation. This record equalled Afghanistan’s Naveen-ul-Haq, who delivered a 13-ball over against Zimbabwe last year.
Off the radar Arshdeep
For Arshdeep, this wasn’t entirely unfamiliar territory. The 26-year-old had previously bowled a 10-ball over at the 2024 T20 World Cup against Ireland, the longest by an Indian in a global event. Before Thursday, the previous Indian record stood at 11 balls, unwanted milestones held by Khaleel Ahmed and Hardik Pandya. Khaleel’s came in Pallekele in 2024, while Pandya’s was recorded in Adelaide back in 2016.
Despite the chaos of the over, Arshdeep remains a key component of India’s white-ball plans, known for his death-overs skills and ability to bounce back from tough spells.
Arshdeep gets trolled
The long over didn’t just come with a lot of deliveries but also brought along a lot of trolling. Referencing Singh’s video from the last ODI with Virat Kohli, a user wrote on X, “Virat Kohli was right. Agar dew hoti ODI mein toh paaji bhi century kar dete.” Another user gave his match stats, “Arshdeep Singh Today – 0, 0, 0, 2, 6, 0, 4, 0, 6, 1, 0, 1, 6, W, W, 0, W, W, W, W, 1, 2, 1, W, 1, 6, 0, W, W, 1, 6, 0, 1. 0s: 9; 1s: 7; 2s: 2; 4s: 1; Wides: 9.”
It was not all making fun. A user sympathised with the pacer and wrote, “Arshdeep Singh just created a record no one expected — 7 wides in one over, including 6 back-to-back. Tough day, but hoping he bounces back stronger!”
India chasing 214 vs SA
In the second T20I vs South Africa in Mullanpur, SKY opted to bowl first. Quinton de Kock’s superb innings of 90 led his team to put up a 214-run target for the Men in Blue. Donovan Ferreira (30 off 16) and David Miller (20 off 12) applied the finishing touches in style, landing heavy blows in the death overs. For India, Varun Chakravarthy stood tall amid the chaos, claiming two wickets and once again proving why he’s such a difficult puzzle to solve.
But the rest of India’s attack endured a night they will want to erase quickly. Jasprit Bumrah looked uncharacteristically off-colour and Arshdeep Singh had a particularly rough outing.