India vs New Zealand 5th T20I: Chakravarthy Hits 50

India and New Zealand meet in the fifth T20 International in Hamilton on Sunday, and Varun Chakravarthy has been named in the playing XI. The match is a landmark occasion for him, as it marks his 50th T20 international.

The game is also Varun's first on this tour. He began his T20 international journey against Sri Lanka on July 25, 2021, and reaching 50 matches reflects his consistency over the years.

Varun becomes the 28th Indian player to feature in 50 T20 internationals. He has 75 wickets from 49 matches, with a best of 5 for 17 standing as his finest T20 performance.

He has also played four ODIs for India and taken 10 wickets in that format. Varun has been part of the Indian teams that lifted the Champions Trophy 2025 and the T20 World Cup 2026.

Rohit Sharma, who played between 2007 and 2024, is the leading Indian in T20 matches with 159 appearances. Hardik Pandya is next with 138, followed by Virat Kohli with 125 and Axar Patel with 116. Suryakumar Yadav, a former captain, is fifth with 113 matches.

Internationally, Jos Buttler of England and Paul Stirling of Ireland top the list with 163 matches each. George Dockrell of Ireland and Rohit Sharma are joint second with 159 apiece. Mohammad Nabi of Afghanistan (155) and Adil Rashid of England (153) complete the group of players with 150 or more T20 internationals.