Abhishek Sharma ready to break three major records in upcoming series against New Zealand

The fourth of five T20 series matches between India and West Indies is scheduled for October 14 (Wednesday) and will take place at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad. This match provides Indian fast bowler Arshadip Singh with an opportunity to achieve a remarkable feat.

Arshadip Singh is just six wickets away from accomplishing something no Indian fast bowler has managed before. Currently, Arshadip has played 97 T20Is for India and has 144 wickets, with his best performance being five wickets for 51 runs.

If Arshadip collects the remaining six wickets in the fourth match or during this series in Hyderabad, he will become the first Indian fast bowler to reach 150 wickets in international T20 cricket.

In the third T20 match, which took place in Indore, Arshadip Singh also demonstrated excellent bowling. He dismissed captain Windbie Shy Hope, which changed the course of the match. Furthermore, Arshadip sent Sherphen Rutherford and Kim Paul to the bench, allowing India to secure a close victory by 14 points, increasing their advantage in the series to 2-1.

After the match, Arshadip stated that the correct application of strategies developed with the coaching staff helped him. He also smiled and apologized to his teammate Akshar Patel for the error that led to the partner's dismissal via an out.

In the third match of the T20 series against West Indies in Indore, held on Sunday (October 11), Prince Yadav demonstrated outstanding performance. By scoring three quarters in the final over, he not only helped the Indian team reach a high score but also achieved a feat that no Indian batter has replicated in the last 15 years.

Prince Yadav is now the third player to score at least three quarters while batting at positions number 10 or number 11 in international T20 matches for India. Before him, this was achieved only by S. Shrishent and Ravichandran Ashwin. With this achievement, Prince Yadav has entered the exclusive list of these two Indian cricket players.

According to statistics, the record for the highest number of quarters scored in international T20 matches for India at positions 10 or 11 belongs to S. Shrishent, who scored four quarters against New Zealand in Johannesburg in 2007. After him, Ravichandran Ashwin scored three quarters against England in Kolkata in 2011. In 2026, Prince Yadav took his place on this list by scoring three quarters against West Indies.

In the Indore match, the Indian team lost eight wickets at a score of 202 runs in the 19th over. It was at this critical moment that Prince Yadav came onto the field, when the team needed to score quickly in the final moments of the innings. He played a key role in increasing India's total score to 223 runs, by scoring three quarters in Shamra Joseph's over.

Prince Yadav started his innings by scoring a quarter towards the deep mid-wicket. Then he hit the second quarter, neatly flicking the ball over the wicketkeeper Shyop. The third quarter in this over was scored thanks to a top edge that flew over the short third man. This small but important contribution allowed India to secure the necessary runs in the concluding overs.

Earlier, Abhishek Sharma strengthened the Indian innings by showing an explosive knock of 69 runs off 30 balls. Ishan Kishan also scored quickly, making 37 runs off 18 balls. Nevertheless, the pace of the game slowed down due to consecutive wickets in the middle of the innings. Thus, Prince's quarters played a decisive role in taking the team to 223 runs.

The West Indies team, aiming for 224 runs, managed to score only 209 runs, losing seven wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Arshdeep Singh took three wickets, scoring 44 runs, and Naman Dir secured two wickets. Shamur Springer could not change the course of the game, scoring 35 runs without being dismissed off just 11 balls. India won this match by a margin of 14 runs, gaining a 2-1 advantage in the five-match T20 series. The next T20 international match between the teams will take place in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

Australian cricketer Nick Maddinson made an impressive return to the field after overcoming one of life's toughest battles. Maddinson, who had been absent from cricket for a long time due to cancer treatment, was included in the starting lineup for the match in Durban against South Africa on Friday, October 9th. He played for Australia in Test cricket after approximately ten years (3580 days).

However, Maddinson's debut did not bring him significant success. The 34-year-old athlete faced Australia's first innings, playing 33 balls, but failed to score any runs. He was dismissed by South African fast bowler Marco Jansen with a strong delivery. This marked the first time in history that an Australian opening batsman left the field after a Test without scoring any runs while playing such a number of balls.

This instance entered the list of record achievements: Derryn Morris (New Zealand) scored 39 balls against Sri Lanka in Dunedin in 1995; Trevor Griper (Zimbabwe) scored 36 balls against West Indies in Kingston in 2000; Nick Maddinson (Australia) scored 33 balls against South Africa in Durban in 2026; Mark Decker (Zimbabwe) scored 30 balls against Sri Lanka in Bulawayo in 1994; Brian Laxerth (England) scored 29 balls against Australia in Sydney in 1971.

Last year, Maddinson was diagnosed with a disease that threatened not only his career but also his life. In April 2025, it was discovered that he had testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and lymph nodes. Following this, he had to take a break from cricket to undergo treatment. He completed chemotherapy in July 2025 and recovered under medical supervision. After receiving medical clearance, approximately eight weeks after completing treatment, he began preparing to resume sports.

Nick Maddinson returned to the field in September 2025, but could not participate in the first matches of the 2025-26 Australian domestic season. He then played five matches for Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League (BBL), gradually regaining his position in professional cricket. His performance in domestic cricket played a vital role in Maddinson's return. Recently, he scored 126 runs for New South Wales against Victoria in the domestic ODI tournament in Australia and was appointed captain of New South Wales for the 2026-27 Sheffield Shield season.

Nick Maddinson debuted for Australia in 2016. After an unsuccessful performance in the first three matches against South Africa and Pakistan, he was dropped from the team. This time, his inclusion in the squad for the tour of South Africa was not guaranteed. He was invited to the team as a replacement for injured Cameron Green. Later, when Josh Inglis sustained a finger injury and was excluded from the first Test, Maddinson was given a spot in the squad.

In the Durban Test, Maddinson and Travis Head came out to bat as openers for Australia, while Michael Renshaw was selected at number five instead of Cameron Green. Australian captain Pat Cummins decided that they would bat first. Maddinson was given the opportunity to bat before all-rounder Cooper Cronley. The captain of the Kangaroos team, Pat Cummins, stated that Nick Maddinson felt comfortable in the game. For his part, South Africa included Enric Nortje, who has played first-class cricket for about four years. Kagiso Rabada, recovering from a hamstring injury, rested for this match.