India batter Tilak Varma cheekily apologised after initially failing to name Arshdeep Singh as India’s leading wicket-taker in T20 World Cup history. The
moment occurred during a ‘Knowledge Check’ segment on JioHotstar, amid India’s ongoing five-match T20I series against New Zealand at home.
When asked which Indian pacer holds the record for the most wickets in T20 World Cups, Tilak first named Jasprit Bumrah before quickly correcting himself and naming Arshdeep.
“Paaji, sorry yaar bhul gaya (Sorry brother, I forgot)", Realising his slip, Tilak smiled and said.
Check the hilarious video here
The tall left-arm speedster currently holds the record with 27 wickets from 14 matches, achieved across the 2022 and 2024 editions of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Bumrah is close behind with 26 wickets from 18 matches, but Arshdeep remains at the top of the list.
Apart from that one moment, Tilak answered the remaining questions correctly. He identified Virat Kohli as India’s highest run-scorer in T20 World Cups and Rohit Sharma as the only Indian to feature in all nine editions of the tournament. He also correctly named Ravichandran Ashwin as the player who hit the winning runs in the famous India-Pakistan clash at the 2022 T20 World Cup.
The Hyderabad cricketer further identified Irfan Pathan and Virat Kohli as India’s Player of the Match winners in T20 World Cup finals from 2007 and 2024, respectively; Suresh Raina as the only Indian with a T20 World Cup century; and Yusuf Pathan as the only Indian to make his T20I debut in a World Cup final.
Arshdeep, meanwhile, has been a key figure in India’s T20I setup. In 73 T20Is, the left-arm pacer has taken 111 wickets at an average of 19.01 and an economy rate of 8.39, with a best of 4/9. He also featured in India’s opening T20I against New Zealand at the VCA Stadium, Nagpur, where he returned with figures of 1/31 in four overs in a 48-run win.
For the unversed, Tilak has been ruled out of the first three T20Is of the series as he continues to be under medical observation after his testicular torsion surgery. He is expected to be fully fit ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup, scheduled to begin on February 7.
