During India's fourth T20I clash against England at the County Ground in Bristol, star all-rounder Axar Patel carved his name into the history books. The talented left-hander became only the fifth Indian cricketer to cross the milestone of 100 T20I appearances, entering an elite club that includes iconic names like Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Virat Kohli, and Suryakumar Yadav.
Axar Patel achieves special feat with 100 T20Is
What makes Axar's achievement particularly unique is that he is the first Indian player to reach the century mark in T20Is without ever leading the national side as captain. While he has filled the role of vice-captain during numerous bilateral series, as well as during India's home T20 World Cup campaign earlier in 2026—he has yet to officially captain the team.
In terms of overall appearances, former skipper Rohit Sharma still leads the pack for India with a record-setting 159 T20I matches. Hardik Pandya follows in second place with 138 caps, while Virat Kohli (125) and Suryakumar Yadav (113) round out the top four ahead of Axar.
Reflecting on his journey in a video shared by BCCI.tv, Axar admitted that reaching this landmark was something he never anticipated when he first started. He noted that the England tour had turned into an incredibly memorable trip, as he managed to claim his 100th T20I wicket during the second match right before celebrating his 100th cap in the fourth game.
The all-rounder also emphasized that the achievement belongs to more than just himself. He expressed his deep gratitude to his teammates, coaching staff, and family, noting that their collective support was instrumental in helping him achieve this special milestone.
Harshit, Chakaravarthy out of remainder of T20I series vs England
Talking about the match, India won the toss and elected to bat first being played in Bristol. India made two changes in their playing XI as they brought in Prasidh Krishna and Washington Sundar in place of injured Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy.
India's Playing XI:
Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna
England's Playing XI:
Philip Salt, Jos Buttler(w), Harry Brook(c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue