Arshdeep Singh endured a nightmare spell in the second T20I against South Africa in Mullanpur, sending down a 13-ball over – the longest in T20I history.
The left-arm seamer completely lost control of his line, spraying seven wides in a single over and struggling to execute his wide-yorker plan.
Introduced for the 11th over in his second spell, Arshdeep was hit for a six first ball and things only unraveled further. While attempting to bowl consistently wide outside off, he missed his mark by inches multiple times, forcing the umpire to signal wide after wide as Quinton de Kock let the deliveries go.
By the time the seventh wide was called, Jasprit Bumrah had already walked over to skipper Suryakumar Yadav for a mid-over discussion. In the dugout, cameras caught bowling coach Morne Morkel and head coach Gautam Gambhir visibly concerned.
Although Arshdeep eventually completed the over, it came at a heavy cost – 18 runs conceded and a new unwanted world record.
He became the first bowler to deliver seven wides in a single T20I over. The previous record belonged to Afghanistan’s Naveen-ul-Haq, who bowled six wides in a 13-ball over against Zimbabwe in December 2024.
With Arshdeep’s spell, both he and Naveen now share the dubious record for the longest over bowled by a Full-Member nation player in T20Is – 13 balls. The chaotic over also impacted India tactically, triggering an over-rate penalty that prevented them from placing five fielders outside the circle in the final over.
SA post mammoth 213/4
Quinton de Kock lit up the Mullanpur night with a breathtaking 90 off just 46 balls, propelling South Africa to a commanding 213/4 in the second T20I on Thursday. The wicketkeeper-batter hit seven towering sixes throughout his innings.
South Africa’s finishing surge was strengthened by quick-fire contributions from Donovan Ferreira, who struck 30 off 16, and David Miller, who chipped in with a brisk 20 off 12.
For India, Varun Chakravarthy stood out as the most effective bowler, picking up two wickets and slowing the scoring rate in patches. But the rest of the attack had a difficult outing.
