Abhishek Sharma Creates History With Fastest T20I Century By An Indian

Abhishek Sharma produced a breathtaking display of power hitting at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday night, smashing the fastest century by an Indian batter in T20Is. The left-handed opener reached the landmark in just 30 balls, bettering Rohit Sharma’s previous record of 35 balls.

Abhishek’s sensational effort also made him the fastest centurion from a Test-playing nation in men’s T20Is, surpassing the previous mark of 33 balls jointly held by Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza and New Zealand’s Finn Allen.

The 24-year-old went after Afghanistan’s bowlers from the outset, racing to his half-century in only 16 balls. He then shifted gears dramatically, taking just 14 more deliveries to complete his century.

India also enjoyed a record-breaking powerplay as Abhishek’s assault helped the hosts post 100 runs inside the first six overs, their highest-ever score in the powerplay in T20Is. Abhishek himself contributed 76 runs during the powerplay, repeatedly finding the boundary and putting Afghanistan’s bowling attack under immense pressure.

Fastest T20I Hundreds

• 27 balls – Sahil Chauhan (Estonia) vs Cyprus, Episkopi, 2024
• 29 balls – Muhammad Fahad (Turkey) vs Bulgaria, Sofia, 2025
• 30 balls – Abhishek Sharma (India) vs Afghanistan, Delhi, 2026
• 33 balls – Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton (Namibia) vs Nepal, Kirtipur, 2024
• 33 balls – Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe) vs Gambia, Nairobi (Ruaraka), 2024
• 33 balls – Finn Allen (New Zealand) vs South Africa, Kolkata, 2026

Fastest T20I Hundreds By Players From Test-Playing Nations

• 30 balls – Abhishek Sharma (India) vs Afghanistan, Delhi, 2026
• 33 balls – Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe) vs Gambia, Nairobi (Ruaraka), 2024
• 33 balls – Finn Allen (New Zealand) vs South Africa, Kolkata, 2026
• 35 balls – David Miller (South Africa) vs Bangladesh, Potchefstroom, 2017
• 35 balls – Rohit Sharma (India) vs Sri Lanka, Indore, 2017

Abhishek showed no signs of slowing down after reaching his fifty. He attacked both Afghanistan’s pace bowlers and their formidable spin attack with the same aggression, taking on Rashid Khan and the other bowlers without hesitation.

At the other end, Sanju Samson provided valuable support by finding boundaries and rotating the strike effectively, ensuring Abhishek remained involved in the action. The opening partnership kept the scoreboard moving at a remarkable pace and left Afghanistan struggling to regain control.

Abhishek’s spectacular innings finally came to an end on 108, when he edged a Rashid Khan delivery through to the wicketkeeper. However, the damage had already been done. India were 142/1 after 9.5 overs, with the hosts firmly in control and on course for a huge total.