Abhishek Sharma put on a masterclass in destructive batting at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday, shattering the record for the fastest T20 International century by a player from a Full Member nation. Hitting three figures off just 30 deliveries against Afghanistan in the third T20I.
Abhishek Sharma cracks fastest T20I century with 30-ball 100
He went on to break another big record of fastest T20I century for India, comfortably surpassing Rohit Sharma’s 35-ball landmark set against Sri Lanka in 2017
Batters with fastest T20I hundreds (Full Member teams):
30 - Abhishek Sharma (India) vs Afghanistan, Delhi, 2026
33 - Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe) vs Gambia, Nairobi (Ruaraka), 2024
33 - Finn Allen (South Africa) vs New Zealand, Kolkata, 2026
35 - David Miller (South Africa) vs Bangladesh, Potchefstroom, 2017
35 - Rohit Sharma (India) vs Sri Lanka, Indore, 2017
The record-breaking knock began modestly, with Abhishek taking a few balls to gauge Fazalhaq Farooqi before driving through extra cover for his first boundary. The gears shifted instantly in the second over as he took on Azmatullah Omarzai, pulling a delivery over deep square leg for six before stepping out to clear sweeper cover for another maximum.
Once dialed in, Abhishek launched a relentless assault on the Afghan attack. He capitalised on Farooqi’s short deliveries with a scoop over fine leg and a colossal straight hit, but his most devastating over came against veteran off-spinner Mohammad Nabi. Pounding Nabi for three sixes and a boundary in the fifth over, the opener raced to a 14-ball half-century. He maintained his aggression against Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the seventh over, lofting two more deliveries beyond the ropes.
Even world-class leg-spinner Rashid Khan could not break his rhythm, as Abhishek charged down the track to launch him over wide long-on to reach his historic 30-ball century. His whirlwind innings finally came to an end on 108 when Rashid induced a thin edge behind the stumps, with keeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz securing the dismissal following a successful DRS review.