Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal
Both Bumrah and Chahal have been influential in India's T20I wins this year

While a lot is already being said about India's upcoming tour of South Africa, starting January 5, Rohit Sharma's men have a job in hand to take care of as they play a three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka.

It's hard to find a context to the upcoming limited-over rubber, but quite a few records are up for grabs for Indian cricketers. While MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma are eyeing some wicketkeeping and batting records, respectively, there are two big names from the bowling department who are set to have a mini battle for a crucial landmark.

As it turns out, Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal are in with a chance to finish as the leading wicket-taker in T20Is in 2017.

Also read: 1st T20I team news, playing XIs and pitch conditions

Afghanistan leggie Rashid Khan is currently sitting on the top of the list with 17 wickets at a staggering average of 9.41 from just 10 matches.

Meanwhile, Chahal is second on the list with 15 wickets from 10 matches. The young leg-spinner, who has grown by leaps and bounds in the recent past, has a good chance to move up the ladder as Rashid has no more T20I matches to play this year.

However, West Indies' Kesrick Williams, who is joint-first on the list with 17 wickets, is expected to play a T20I against New Zealand at Nelson on December 29.

On the other hand, Bumrah is sixth on the list with 12 wicket from nine matches. The lanky pacer is currently well behind the top three, but given his recent exploits in limited-over matches, his chances cannot be ruled out.

Top T20I wicket-takers in 2017

Player Matches Wickets
Rashid Khan (Afg) 10 17
Kesrick Williams (WI) 9 17
Yuzvendra Chahal (Ind) 9 15
Shadab Khan (Pak) 10 14
Imran Tahir (Pak) 9 14
Carlos Brathwaite (WI) 9 12
Lasith Malinga (SL) 6 12
Jasprit Bumrah (Ind) 9 12
Hasan Ali (Pak) 9 12
Jacob Mulder (Ire) 7 11

While India crushed Sri Lanka in Tests and ODIs, the hosts cannot afford to take the visitors lightly as they defeated the likes of South Africa and Australia on the road earlier this year.

However, Sri Lanka are heading into the upcoming series on the back of a five-match losing streak, which includes a 3-0 whitewash by Pakistan in October.

India vs Sri Lanka T20I series schedule

  • 1st T20I in Cuttack - Wednesday, December 20
  • 2nd T20I in Indore - Friday, December 22
  • 3rd T20I in Mumbai - Sunday, December 24
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