After Tests and ODIs, India's West Indies tour is set to conclude with a five-match T20I series that is scheduled to start from August 3. Hardik Pandya is leading the Men in Blue with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli 'resting' from the format since the T20 World Cup last year. Some of the youngsters have got the opportunity in this series while seasoned T20 players of India will be keen on strengthening their credentials in the format. Meanwhile, a few players will also eyeing personal milestones in this series.
Here are five Indian players and the milestones they will be chasing in T20I series:
The leg-spinner was benched for the entire ODI series with chinaman Kuldeep Yadav being preferred in the playing XI. However, Yuzvendra Chahal is likely to get a chance in the T20Is and that makes him the prime candidate to become the first Indian bowler to pick 100 T20I wickets. Chahal currently has 91 wickets in T20Is in 75 matches at an average of 24.68. He needs only nine wickets to become the 8th player in the world to complete 100 wickets in T20 Internationals.
2. Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson's batting position could be debatable for the T20I series. But wherever he bats, Samson will have to make sure he scores at least 21 runs in the T20I series to complete a massive milestone of 6000 runs in T20 cricket. So far, he has amassed 5979 runs in the shortest format overall in 241 matches (234 innings) at an average of 28.60 with three centuries and 38 fifties to his name.
3. Ishan Kishan
Though Ishan Kishan has played only 17 T20 matches at the international level, the left-hander has an experience of featuring 167 matches in the shortest format overall. He has scored 4292 runs with three tons and 24 half-centuries while also hitting 185 sixes. He is only 15 sixes away from completing 200 maximums in his T20 career.
4. Axar Patel
Axar Patel has so far played only one match on the West Indies tour. But looking at the squad, the all-rounder looks set to play all five matches of the T20I series. This gives him every chance to complete 200 wickets in the T20 format. He has so far picked up 188 scalps in 220 T20 matches and the left-arm spinner will be keen on achieving this milestone.
5. Suryakumar Yadav
Most of the teams played a lot of T20Is last year with World Cup on the horizon. But that hasn't been the case this year. Suryakumar Yadav had recorded most sixes in a calendar year in T20Is in 2022 and has a chance to top the charts yet again in the upcoming T20Is vs West Indies. He has currently smacked the ball out of the park on 16 occasions this year in six T20Is with 20 being the highest from a Portugal cricketer Kuldeep Gholiya. Suryakumar Yadav has every chance of climbing to the top of this list by the end of the series.
