Team India enjoyed a memorable year in T20Is in 2025. They played 21 matches, winning 15 and losing only three. One match ended in a tie, while two produced no result. As a result, the Men in Blue finished the year with a win percentage of 71.42 in the T20I format.

India began the year with a dominant 4–1 series win against England at home and ended 2025 with a 3–1 home series victory over South Africa. Between these two series, they won the Asia Cup in the UAE without losing a single match, registering six wins and one tie. Team India also defeated Australia 2–1 in a rain-affected series in Australia.

Several Indian bowlers delivered outstanding performances in T20Is throughout the year. In this feature, we highlight the top five T20I performances by Indian bowlers in 2025.

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5. Varun Chakaravarthy (4–53) vs South Africa, Ahmedabad

Leg-spinner Varun Chakaravarthy was India’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is in 2025. He played 20 matches and took 36 wickets at an average of 13.19 and an economy rate of 7.08. His figures of 4–53 came in India’s last T20I of the year against South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. India were defending 231 runs, and Varun’s four wickets helped them win the match by 30 runs.

Varun struck in his first over when Reeza Hendricks (13) was caught at midwicket. He conceded 23 runs in his second over to Dewald Brevis and Quinton de Kock but bounced back strongly. He dismissed Aiden Markram (6) and Donovan Ferreira (0) on consecutive balls and later removed George Linde (16) with a wrong’un.

4. Harshit Rana (3–33) vs England, Pune

Young fast bowler Harshit Rana played six T20Is in 2025 and took seven wickets. His best figures of 3–33 came on his debut against England in Pune. India won the fourth T20I of the series by 15 runs.

Defending a target of 181, Harshit made an impact as a concussion substitute. With his second ball, he dismissed Liam Livingstone (9), who edged to the wicketkeeper. Jacob Bethell (6) was next, miscuing an off-cutter to long-on. Harshit took his third wicket when Jamie Overton (19) edged a length delivery onto his stumps.

3. Arshdeep Singh (3–35) vs Australia, Hobart

Arshdeep Singh was India’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is, despite missing a few matches in 2025. When given the chance, he delivered strong performances. His spell of 3–35 against Australia in Hobart earned him the Player of the Match award.

India bowled first and restricted Australia to 186 for 6. Arshdeep struck in the opening over by dismissing Travis Head (6). He then removed Josh Inglis (1), who was caught at fine leg. His third wicket came when Marcus Stoinis (64) was caught at long-on. India chased down 187 runs and won by five wickets.

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2. Varun Chakaravarthy (5–24) vs England, Rajkot

Varun Chakaravarthy was the only Indian bowler to take a five-wicket haul in T20Is in 2025. He returned outstanding figures of 5–24 against England in Rajkot. Varun was named Player of the Match, even though India failed to chase a target of 172.

He began by dismissing Jos Buttler (24), who was caught behind. Jamie Smith (6) was caught at deep midwicket, while Jamie Overton (0) was bowled first ball by a quicker delivery. Varun then removed Brydon Carse (3) and Jofra Archer (0) to complete a memorable spell.

1. Kuldeep Yadav (4–30) vs Pakistan, Dubai

Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav had an excellent year in T20Is. He played 10 matches and picked up 21 wickets at an average of 10.23 and an economy rate of 7.04. His standout performance came in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan in Dubai, where he claimed figures of 4–30.

Bowling first, India restricted Pakistan to 146 runs. Kuldeep dismissed Saim Ayub (14), caught at backward point, and then removed Salman Agha (8). He trapped Shaheen Shah Afridi (0) lbw with a googly and completed his spell by having Faheem Ashraf (0) caught at long-off.

Team India enjoyed a strong year in ODIs in 2025. The Men in Blue played 14 matches, winning 11 and losing only three. They finished the year with an impressive win percentage of 78.57.

India began 2025 with a 3–0 ODI series win over England at home. They then remained unbeaten in the Champions Trophy held in the UAE. Later in the year, Team India lost the ODI series in Australia by 2–1. However, they ended the year on a positive note with a 2–1 home series win against South Africa.

Among the bowlers, young pacer Harshit Rana emerged as India’s leading wicket-taker in ODIs in 2025. In 11 matches, he took 20 wickets at an average of 25.55. Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav finished second on the list, claiming 19 wickets in 11 games at an average of 29.

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Ravindra Jadeja took 12 wickets, while Mohammad Shami and Axar Patel picked up 11 wickets each to complete the top five list.

Indian bowlers delivered several match-winning performances in ODIs during 2025. In this feature, we take a look at the top five ODI bowling performances by Team India in the year.

1. Mohammad Shami (5-53) vs Bangladesh, Dubai

Veteran pacer Mohammad Shami played seven ODIs for Team India in 2025. He picked up 11 wickets at an average of 30.63 and an economy rate of 5.92. Nine of his wickets came in the Champions Trophy in Dubai.

Shami delivered an excellent spell of 5-53 from 10 overs against Bangladesh in the group-stage match. Bangladesh batted first after winning the toss, but Shami’s five-wicket haul restricted them to 228 runs.

He dismissed Soumya Sarkar in the first over, caught behind. He then removed Mehidy Hasan Miraz (5) at slip with a fine outswinger. Shami also picked up the wickets of Jaker Ali (68), Tanzim Hasan Sakib (0), and Taskin Ahmed (3). India chased the target comfortably, with Shubman Gill scoring an unbeaten 101 off 129 balls.

2. Prasidh Krishna (4-66) vs South Africa, Visakhapatnam

Team India pacer Prasidh Krishna had a challenging ODI season in 2025, especially in terms of economy rate. The right-arm fast bowler took eight wickets in four matches at an average of 31.37 and an economy rate of 7.72.

Prasidh’s best performance came in the deciding ODI against South Africa in Visakhapatnam, where he returned figures of 4-66. Although he conceded runs, he picked up key wickets.

India bowled first, and Prasidh trapped Matthew Breetzke (24) lbw. He then forced Aiden Markram (1) into a false shot before dismissing Quinton de Kock, who scored 106. South Africa were restricted to 270, which India chased down in 39.5 overs.

3. Harshit Rana (4-39) vs Australia, Sydney

Young pacer Harshit Rana faced criticism for inconsistent performances across formats. However, finishing 2025 as India’s leading ODI wicket-taker highlighted his impact.

Harshit starred with figures of 4-39 against Australia in Sydney, helping India avoid a 3-0 series whitewash. Australia opted to bat first, and Harshit struck early by dismissing Alex Carey (24), with a brilliant catch by Shreyas Iyer.

He then removed Mitchell Owen (1) at slip and later dismissed Cooper Connolly (23) and Josh Hazlewood (0). Australia were bowled out for 236, and India chased the target in 38.3 overs.

4. Kuldeep Yadav (3-40) vs Pakistan, Dubai

Kuldeep Yadav delivered several strong spells in ODIs in 2025. While he had four-wicket hauls against South Africa earlier in the year, his best effort came against Pakistan in Dubai during the Champions Trophy.

Kuldeep returned figures of 3-40 from nine overs. He dismissed Salman Agha (19), trapped Shaheen Shah Afridi lbw on the first ball, and removed Naseem Shah (14). Pakistan were restricted to 241 after looking set for a bigger total. India chased the target easily, led by a century from Virat Kohli.

5. Varun Chakaravarthy (5-42) vs New Zealand, Dubai

Varun Chakaravarthy impressed in limited ODI appearances in 2025. In four matches, he took 10 wickets at an average of 19 and an economy rate of 4.75.

His best performance came against New Zealand in Dubai, where he claimed 5-42. Chasing 250, New Zealand were bowled out for 205 in 45.3 overs.

Chakaravarthy dismissed Will Young (22) with a googly, trapped Glenn Phillips (12) lbw, removed Michael Bracewell (2), and then picked up Mitchell Santner (28) and Matt Henry (2) to complete a match-winning spell.

The ODI series opener between India and South Africa in Ranchi was a close and exciting match. The result came down to the final over, and India won by 17 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Fast bowler Harshit Rana was one of the key players in India’s win, but he has now received a penalty from the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Rana has been given a warning for breaking Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct. He also received one demerit point on his record. This is his first offence in the last two years. The ICC said Rana broke Article 2.5, which deals with using words, actions, or gestures that may insult or provoke a batter after their dismissal in an international match.

The Indian pacer was found guilty of breaking Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct. This rule covers the use of words, actions, or gestures that can insult a batter or provoke them after they are dismissed in an international match.

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🚨 STATEMENT BY ICC 🚨

Harshit Rana receives a reprimand for an incident involving South Africa batter Dewald Brevis. pic.twitter.com/CxIP6CNQpt

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 3, 2025

Rana’s Gesture Sparks ICC Action

The incident happened in the 22nd over of South Africa’s chase. After dismissing Dewald Brevis, Rana made a gesture toward the dressing room that could have triggered an aggressive response from the batter.

Rana accepted the charge and agreed to the penalty suggested by match referee Richie Richardson from the Emirates ICC Elite Panel, so a formal hearing was not required.

The charge was filed by on-field umpires Jayaraman Madanagopal and Sam Nogajski, along with third umpire Rod Tucker and fourth umpire Rohan Pandit.

A Level 1 offence can lead to an official warning at minimum, or up to 50% of the player’s match fee being deducted, along with one or two demerit points.

South Africa is pushing hard to challenge Team India (IND vs SA 1st ODI) in the second innings at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi while chasing a target of 350 in 50 overs. After sustaining 3 early blows, the visiting team looked promising for their middle-order batting line-up.

Harshit Rana was brilliant with the new ball in hand. He took the wickets of Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock in the second over of the second innings. Arshdeep Singh got the wicket of captain Aiden Markram; South Africa lost 3 wickets for 11 runs only on the scoreboard. The three early departures gave India an instant boost, and South Africa took a wallop. Three middle-order batters—Matthew Breetzke and Tony de Zorzi—provided South Africa some much-needed stability in the middle.

Dewald Brevis walked into the ground with the bat as Zorzi departed for 39 off 35. With the appearance of Brevis, the X-factor of the South African batting lineup came into the contest. As long as the partnership of Breetzke and Brevis remained on the pitch, the crowd at the JSCA International Stadium got multiple moments to be excited as the young South African batter on multiple occasions sent the ball into the gallery for maximums.

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Harshit Rana took Dewald Brevis' wicket

Dewald Brevis catch taken by Rutu.#RuturajGaikwad #DewaldBrevis#INDvSA pic.twitter.com/kNl5ntQSd3

— Eeshwar Reddy (@EeshwarReddyG) November 30, 2025

The entertaining innings of Brevis stopped because of Harshit Rana. The pitcher sent off the aggressive batter with a brilliantly planned delivery. On the 4th delivery of the 22nd over of the second innings, Rana delivered a full, outside-off delivery. Brevis hit the ball towards the deep point cordon.

He got the height; the ball went miles into the sky but did not get the required distance to clear the rope. Near the rope, Ruturaj Gaikwad waited for a long time and grabbed the ball safely into his palms. Dewald departs for a breezy 37 off 28 balls. 

Chasing down the big target in the first game of the ODI series at Ranchi, South Africa lost their top-order batters early, as the Indian pacer Harshit Rana produced the early damage with two wickets in his first over of the match.

Virat Kohli’s 135, and some crucial knocks from Rohit Sharma (57), KL Rahul (60), and Ravindra Jadeja (32) helped India to score 349/8 in 50 overs. 

Harshit Rana produced big blows by dismissing Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock in his first over

Chasing down the 350-run target, South Africa lost their first two wickets in the second over of the innings, as Harshit Rana dismissed both the left-handed batters Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock for ducks. 

Starting his spell with a wide delivery, Harshit Rana set up nicely on his first legal delivery of the match, as Rickelton missed the ball that travelled the gap between his bat and pads to destroy the wicket. 

Rana delivered two outswingers to Quinton de Kock. While De Kock missed the first one, he had an outside edge to the second one as the wicket-keeper KL Rahul comfortably took the catch to dismiss the experienced batter. As Rana took two wickets in three balls, South Africa were struggling at 7/2.

Watch: Kuldeep Yadav traps Tony de Zorzi LBW during IND vs SA 1st ODI in Ranchi

Watch how Harshit Rana destroyed South African top order

I.C.Y.M.I

🎥 Harshit Rana's twin strikes that gave #TeamIndia a solid start with the ball ✌️

Updates ▶️ https://t.co/MdXtGgRkPo#INDvSA | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/NywoMMuy26

— BCCI (@BCCI) November 30, 2025

Soon, the visitors lost their stand-in captain and another opener Aiden Markram (7), as Arshdeep Singh dismissed him, while South Africa were struggling at 11/3. 

Dewald Brevis missed the previous three-match ODI series for the South Africa side against Pakistan due to a shoulder injury. But he returned to the eleven during the opening ODI against India at the JSCA Cricket Complex in Ranchi and showed his impact from the very first ball of the tiny knock in the 350-run chase.

Brevis started his windy knock with a massive six straight down the ground against Ravindra Jadeja. It was a tossed-up delivery from the left-arm spinner as the right-handed batter used his power to crack it straight down the ground. On the fourth delivery of the same over, he went forward and lofted Jadeja for another massive over boundary.

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Harshit Rana came into the attack as Brevis played the cut shot to see the ball fly wide of the backward point region to the fence. On the fourth ball of the same over, he managed his special no-look six. It was a length delivery, and the batter flicked it with swag over the deep mid-wicket region for a massive over boundary.

Watch: Dewald Brevis’ no-look six goes viral during IND vs SA 1st ODI in Ranchi

Despite Brevis’ big shots, Rana had the last laugh as the SA batter couldn’t smash another big shot with the batter turning on his hands. He didn’t get the right elevation on the delivery and sliced it into the hands of the sweeper in the cover region. He got a send-off by the KKR bowler after scoring 37 runs in 28 balls at a strike rate of just over 100.

Dewald Brevis No Look Six vs Harshit Rana Wonderful Timing 😍.#INDvSA pic.twitter.com/a63o0hOcDS

— Yash Jain (@yashjain4163) November 30, 2025

Earlier in the game, Virat Kohli’s special 52nd century of the game, a knock of 135 runs in 120 balls, before KL Rahul smashed 60 runs in 56 balls, along with Ravindra Jadeja’s 32 runs in 20 balls, fired the Blue Brigade to 349/8 in their allotted 50 overs of the first inning.

In reply, SA lost three wickets early in the chase for 11 runs in the fifth over before recovering to 190/5 in 28 overs, thanks to major contributions through the partnerships.

India A bowlers totally dominated the South Africa A batting line-up, who were bundled out for only 132 runs in 30.3 overs. The 21-year-old all-rounder Nishant Sindhu and the 23-year-old right-arm fast bowler Harshit Rana dominated with the ball to crush the visitors at Rajkot on Sunday (November 16).

Trailing the three-match series by 1-0, South Africa A chose to bat first after winning the toss in the second unofficial ODI. Although South Africa A had a better start with a 39-run partnership for the first wicket, they later lost wickets at regular intervals once that opening partnership was broken.

No big scores from South Africa A batters 

Only five Proteas batters managed double-digit scores. Apart from the openers Lhuan-dre Pretorius (21) and Rivaldo Moonsamy (33), only the late middle-order batters Dian Forrester (22), Delano Potgieter (23), and Prenelan Subrayen (15) managed to reach double-digit scores, but all of them failed to make bigger marks.

See Also: Know updated WTC 2025-27 points table after India’s 30-run defeat against South Africa

Nishant Sindhu took 4 wickets, Harshit Rana bagged 3 wickets

The young all-rounder Nishant Sindhu, the left-arm spinner, picked up four wickets, including collapsing the lower-order batting. He finished the innings with the bowling figures of 7-1-16-4.

In the meantime, the right-arm fast bowler Harshit Rana shook the top-order batting, as he dismissed three out of the first four batters of the innings. Rana had the bowling figures of 5-1-21-3.

Also, Prasidh Krishna got two wickets (2/21), and the skipper Tilak Varma (1/12) got one wicket. In the meantime, Arshdeep Singh was wicketless in his four overs (4-0-33-0).  

In the ongoing unofficial ODI series, Nishant Sindhu and Harshit Rana are jointly leading the most wickets table with five wickets each. While India A won their previous match by four wickets with three balls to spare, Rana picked up two wickets in that game, as he had the best bowling figures in that entire match (10-0-49-2). 

Former India cricketer Sadagoppan Ramesh has strongly criticized the team management for frequently changing the batting order during the second T20I against Australia. In the match, India captain Suryakumar Yadav demoted himself to No. 4, allowing Sanju Samson to bat at No. 3, while Harshit Rana was sent ahead of Shivam Dube. As a result, Tilak Varma was pushed down to No. 5. India were bowled out for just 125 runs, and Australia comfortably chased down the target to win by four wickets.

Ramesh expressed his displeasure about the constant positional changes creating unnecessary disorder for the batters. “India needs to stop playing musical chairs with their batting order. They would have had a great chance of winning if they had scored 160 to 170. Didn’t Suryakumar Yadav play well at No. 3 in the last match? He was not out as well. Then why send Sanju Samson at No. 3?” Ramesh said on Instagram.

The former opener added that the inconsistent roles were affecting players’ clarity and performance. “He went from opening to No. 5 and now from 5 to 3. Because of this, everyone is looking at each other in confusion on who might go in to bat next. Tilak Varma won India the Asia Cup final at No. 4 and you moved him to No. 5,” he pointed out.

Ramesh Questions Role Clarity and Team Strategy

Ramesh also questioned the move to promote Harshit Rana ahead of Dube and urged the management to focus on each player’s primary strength. Dube came out to bat at No. 8 with only five overs remaining, and Ramesh said the team needs to ensure players perform their main role effectively. “Someone who cooks well can't be made a driver and a good driver can't become the cook. Likewise, the management should focus on each player's strength and main role in the team and aim to get the best out of them in that role. If they do something extra, that’s well and good,” he explained.

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He further warned that the confusion between primary and secondary roles could hurt team balance. “But their secondary skill should not become the primary role and I fear that’s happening in this Indian team. A bowler who can bat needs to deliver with the ball first and likewise a batter who can bowl must deliver with the bat first. The management needs to be clear on this. That’s where India are slipping right now,” Ramesh concluded.

The former Indian opening batter, Sadagopan Ramesh, has criticized India’s decision to promote their bowler, Harshit Rana, in the middle order in the second of the five-match T20I series against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Rana came into the middle ahead of their premier all-rounder, Shivam Dube, at number seven. 

The Blue Brigade found themselves 49/5 in the eighth over of the innings, with Abhishek Sharma trying his best to rescue the visitors from the early struggle in the first half of the batting first. Harshit Rana posted a fine 56-run stand for the sixth wicket with Abhishek and pushed the score north of 100.

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“Someone who cooks well can't be made a driver, and a good driver can't become the cook. Likewise, management should focus on each player's strengths and primary role in the team, aiming to maximize their performance in that role. If they do something extra, that's well and good.” Ramesh expressed, as quoted by Sports Tak.

Sadagopan Ramesh criticizes India’s decision to promote Harshit Rana in AUS vs IND 2nd T20I

Ramesh took his Instagram account to suggest that the management should focus on every player’s strengths and main role in the eleven. Rana cracked a fine knock of 35 runs in 33 deliveries, thanks to three boundaries and one six at a strike rate of 106.06.

“But their secondary skill should not become the primary role, and I fear that's happening in this Indian team. A bowler who can bat needs to deliver with the ball first, and likewise, a batter who can bat must deliver with the ball first. The management needs to be clear on this. That's where India is slipping right now.” Ramesh addressed during the same post.

The opening T20I of the series at the Manuka Oval was washed out due to persistent rain in Canberra before Australia took the early advantage with a 1-0 margin. The third game on November 02 at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart will be crucial for India’s point of view to stay alive in the series.

The batting performance flopped immensely for the Indian team during the second T20I of the five-match series against Australia at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) after the opening clash was washed out in Canberra due to persistent rain. The home side brought Matthew Short for the clash, while India remained unchanged in their playing eleven.

Josh Hazlewood broke the back of the Indian side with two wickets of Tilak Varma and captain Suryakumar Yadav in the seventh over of the innings, having already collected the wicket of opener Shubman Gill inside the powerplay. Nathan Ellis got the big wicket of Sanju Samson while Axar Patel was dismissed via run-out for seven runs.

See Also: [WATCH] Axar Patel dismissed on run-out after miscommunication with Abhishek Sharma in AUS vs IND 2nd T20I

In that situation, Harshit Rana walked at number seven in the line-up ahead of Shivam Dube. It raised a few eyebrows among the fans and pundits of the game. But the right-handed batter contributed decently in a stable partnership with Abhishek Sharma, who was in his beast mode from the other end.

Watch: Harshit Rana contributes with 35 runs in AUS vs IND 2nd T20I in Melbourne

On the fourth ball of the eleventh over against Matthew Kuhemann, Rana cut the short ball and found the vacant place between the backward point and short third man for a boundary. It sliced the ball hard, and the pace took it to the rope, while he used his left arm to loft Marcus Stoinis for another boundary. From the other end, Abhishek celebrated his sixth half-century in the T20Is.

Short ball? No problem! #HarshitRana clears it for a six! 🚀
Brings up a solid fifty stand fearless, fiery, and full Skyball mode on! 🔥#AUSvIND 👉 2nd T20I | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/mq9j8bivd0 pic.twitter.com/sOGZ6m3u5y

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 31, 2025

But one of the best shorts from Rana of the evening came on the fifth ball of the 15th over against Stonis. The KKR batter picked up the slower delivery and set a solid base to smash the ball over the mid-wicket region for a six to notch up the 50-run stand as the Blue Brigade marched over the 100-run mark.

He was dismissed for 35 runs in 33 balls with the help of three fours and one six. Abhishek remained longer in the middle for his 68 runs in 37 balls, thanks to eight boundaries and two sixes, before they got bundled out for 125 runs in 18.4 overs.