Christchurch, October 24, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India T20I vice-captain Tilak Varma created a new record for the most catches by a fielder in a calendar year in T20I cricket during the second match against New Zealand at Hagley Oval on Saturday.
Varma took two catches in the match to reach 26 catches in T20Is in 2026, moving past Indonesia’s Danilson Hawoe, who had claimed 25 catches in 2025.
The Indian batter completed the landmark with catches of New Zealand opener Tim Seifert and Daryl Mitchell.
Varma first held onto a straightforward catch at cover after Seifert miscued an attempted shot off Arshdeep Singh. He then took a second catch while running back after Mitchell got a leading edge off Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was playing his first T20I for India since his return to the side.
Varma has now taken his 26 catches across 30 innings in T20Is this year, recording a rate of 0.866 dismissals per innings.
The previous record-holders and leading fielders for catches in a calendar year are:
- 26 — Tilak Varma (India), 2026
- 25 — Danilson Hawoe (Indonesia), 2025
- 24 — Muhammad Waseem (UAE), 2024
- 21 — Sharvin Muniandy (Malaysia), 2025
- 20 — Brian Masaba (Uganda), 2023
- 20 — Tanzid Hasan (Bangladesh), 2025
India won the toss and opted to bowl first in the second T20I, making two changes to the side that chased down a record 226 in the series opener at the same venue.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi returned to the playing XI and was set to bat at No. 3 instead of his usual opening position, captain Shreyas Iyer confirmed at the toss. Prince Yadav replaced Mayank Yadav for the second match.
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