Indian opening batter Abhishek Sharma delivered a historic performance in New Delhi on Thursday, dismantling the Afghanistan bowling attack to reach his maiden international T20 century in just 30 balls. This explosive feat marks a new record for the fastest century in T20 Internationals by a player from any Test-playing nation.
With this innings, the left-hander surpassed the previous record held by Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza and New Zealand’s Finn Allen. Raza had previously scored a century off 33 balls against The Gambia in Nairobi in 2024, a mark also matched by Allen during the T20 World Cup semifinal earlier this year in Kolkata against South Africa.
Abhishek’s dominance eventually ended in the tenth over when he was caught behind off the bowling of leg-spinner Rashid Khan. His remarkable 108-run knock came from just 34 deliveries, featuring 11 sixes and nine boundaries. Following his milestone, he celebrated by kneeling on the pitch in a meditative pose.
While Abhishek now holds the record for the quickest century among major cricketing nations, the all-time international T20 record remains with Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan, who reached a century in 27 balls against Cyprus in 2024. Turkey’s Muhammad Fatih sits second on the all-time list, having achieved his century in 29 balls against Bulgaria last year.
This performance also marks Abhishek’s third century in the format, effectively moving him past former Indian star Rohit Sharma. Rohit had previously held the record for India with a 35-ball century against Sri Lanka in Indore back in 2017.
Opting to bat after losing the toss at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, India posted a commanding total of 221 runs for 7 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. A significant portion of this total came from a 142-run opening partnership between Abhishek and Sanju Samson. Samson supported the innings well, contributing 50 runs off 35 balls, including two boundaries and four sixes.
India’s captain, Shreyas Iyer, provided further stability to the innings by scoring 29 runs off 20 deliveries. The team had already secured the series with a 2-0 lead before this final match, and Abhishek’s record-breaking display further underscored their dominant form throughout the tournament.
