Mohammed Shami's scintillating bowling performance in the series opener against New Zealand not only helped his side bag a convincing victory but also ensured the recently acquired Kings XI Punjab player etched himself a place in the history books.

Photo credit: BCCI/Twitter

With a brilliant in swinger that crept in between the bat and pad gap of Kiwi talisman Martin Guptill, Shami became the fastest Indian bowler to pick up 100 wickets, achieving the feat in his 56th game.

Shami, who will play for KXIP in the upcoming VIVO Indian Premier League, ended the game in Napier with figures of 3-19, picking up the crucial wickets of both openers Colin Munro and Guptill as well as all-rounder Mitchell Santner who was caught plumb in front of the wicket.

"Success boils down to the hard work by the team on the whole," Shami said. "And we always have plans for players. Plan A, Plan B."

The 28-year-old's early inroads helped India's spin duo dominate the Kiwi batters, with the home team ultimately being bundled out for 157 runs with 12 overs to spare. Shami displayed a masterclass in fast bowling, swinging the ball both ways with plenty of variety and variations.

"The fast bowling group together believe they can knock any side over," captain Virat Kohli summed up. "And the belief in his own ability and his fitness - this is the fittest I've seen (Shami) in his career. And his Test form has translated into One Day cricket."

The speedster broke a 12-year record held by Irfan Pathan who managed to pick up his hundredth wicket in his 59th game in 2006. Shami's tryst with history means he has outpaced some of Indian cricket's stalwarts like Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath to the 100-wicket mark.

He also became the joint sixth quickest to 100 wickets worldwide alongside Trent Boult, with Afghanistan's Rashid Khan leading the list at 44 games.