Delhi: Indian cricket team’s star all-rounder Akshar Patel made an achievement in his name as soon as he took the field in the fourth T20 match against England on Thursday, July 9, which he will not forget throughout his life. This match played at the County Ground in Bristol was the 100th T20 International match of Akshar’s career.

Explosive entry into Akshar Patel’s special club

By touching this special figure, Akshar Patel has joined a very special club. He has become only the fifth cricketer to play 100 T20 matches for India. Before him, only legends like Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav could achieve this feat.

First Indian to play 100 matches without captaining

A very interesting statistic has also been added to this 100th match of Akshar Patel. He has become the first Indian player to complete a century of matches without ever captaining the team.

Although Akshar has been the vice-captain of the team during several bilateral series and the T20 World Cup 2026 played on home soil this year, he never got a chance to captain officially.

Top-5 players who played most T20 International matches for India:

player	career	match
Rohit Sharma	2007–2024	159
hardik pandya	2016–2026	138
Virat Kohli	2010–2024	125
Suryakumar Yadav	2021–2026	113
Akshar Patel	2015–2026	100*

If we talk about the players who have played the most T20 matches for India, then former captain Rohit Sharma is at the top with 159 matches.

After him comes Hardik Pandya (138 matches), Virat Kohli (125 matches) and Suryakumar Yadav (113 matches).

I never thought I would reach this far – Akshar Patel

While talking to bcci.tv before this historic moment, Akshar Patel looked very emotional.

While sharing his heart he said,

‘When I played my first T20 match, I never dreamed that one day I would play 100 matches for India. This tour of England will always be very special for me. I had completed my 100 wickets in the second T20 match of this tour and now in this fourth match it is my 100th match. This is a big day for me and I am thoroughly enjoying this moment.

At the same time, instead of taking the credit for this success himself, Akshar gave it to his family, friends and team.

He thanked everyone wholeheartedly.