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Dubai
Indian spinner Shree Charani has created history by becoming the first Indian cricketer to claim more than 35 wickets in a calendar year in women’s T20 Internationals, surpassing the previous record held by Poonam Yadav.
Charani reached the landmark during the Women’s Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka, where she returned impressive figures of 4/20. Her four-wicket haul took her tally for 2026 to 39 T20I wickets, moving her past the previous Indian record of 37 wickets, set by Bhuvneshwar Kumar in 2022.
The 22-year-old left-arm spinner had already equalled Poonam Yadav’s women’s record of 35 wickets, achieved in 2018. She subsequently went past the mark, also surpassing the 36-wicket tallies of Arshdeep Singh.
Charani’s record-breaking year has coincided with a strong run for the Indian women’s team. During the Asia Cup, she claimed 12 wickets in five matches, conceding just 67 runs in 18.2 overs. Her performances helped India secure a record eighth Women’s Asia Cup title after a 72-run victory over Sri Lanka in the final.
Her rise has also been reflected in the latest ICC Women’s T20I rankings. Charani retained the No. 1 position among bowlers and became the first Indian woman to cross the 800-point mark, reaching 812 rating points. She also recently became the fastest Indian bowler to take 50 wickets in women’s T20Is.
India’s Asia Cup success brought further gains, with Deepti Sharma moving up to second in the bowling rankings after taking 14 wickets. Shafali Verma, who scored 236 runs in the tournament and was named Player of the Match in the final, returned to the top six among batters.