NEW CHANDIGARH: Indian fast bowler Arshdeep Singh found himself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons on Thursday after delivering a 13-ball over during the second T20I against South Africa at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium.
The left-arm pacer’s unusual 11th over, which included seven wides, conceded 18 runs and entered the record books as one of the longest overs in T20I history. With this, Arshdeep matched the record held by Afghanistan’s Naveen-ul-Haq, who also bowled a 13-ball over against Zimbabwe in 2024.
Longest Overs in T20Is (Full-Member Nations)
- Arshdeep Singh – 13 balls, 18 runs vs South Africa (New Chandigarh, 2025)
- Naveen-ul-Haq – 13 balls, 19 runs vs Zimbabwe (Harare, 2024)
- Sisanda Magala – 12 balls, 18 runs vs Pakistan (Johannesburg, 2021)
- Mark Adair – 11 balls, 26 runs vs Australia (Brisbane, 2022)
For India, this also becomes the longest over bowled by any Indian in T20Is, surpassing previous instances by Khaleel Ahmed and Hardik Pandya, both of whom delivered 11-ball overs in earlier years.
Longest Overs by Indian Bowlers in T20Is
- Arshdeep Singh – 13 balls (18 runs) vs South Africa, 2025
- Khaleel Ahmed – 11 balls (11 runs) vs Sri Lanka, 2024
- Hardik Pandya – 11 balls (19 runs) vs Australia, 2016
- Arshdeep Singh – 10 balls (13 runs) vs Ireland, 2024
- Arshdeep Singh – 10 balls (6 runs) vs West Indies, 2023
Despite the bowling setback, South Africa powered their way to a formidable 213/4 in 20 overs, led by a sensational knock from Quinton de Kock, who hammered 90 off 46 balls, striking seven sixes and five fours.
Among Indian bowlers, Varun Chakravarthy stood out with an impressive spell of 2/29 in his four overs.
