Our Bureau
New Delhi
Abhishek Sharma scripted a record-breaking night at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday, smashing a 30-ball century against Afghanistan to become the fastest Indian to score a hundred in T20 internationals. The left-handed opener surpassed Rohit Sharma’s previous Indian record of 35 balls, set against Sri Lanka in 2017.
Sharma reached his century with 10 sixes and nine boundaries, helping India race to 132 for no loss in just 8.3 overs. He eventually fell for a blistering 108 off 34 balls, dismissed by Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan in the 10th over.
The innings also saw Sharma enter the record books globally. He became the first batter in T20I history to score two centuries in fewer than 40 balls. His earlier century, a 37-ball hundred against England in 2025, had already established him among the format’s fastest scorers.
His latest century is the third-fastest in men’s T20I cricket, behind Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan, who hit a 27-ball hundred against Cyprus in 2024, and Turkey’s Muhammad Fahad, who reached three figures in 29 balls against Bulgaria in 2025. Sharma also became only the fourth Indian batter to score three or more centuries in men’s T20Is.
The explosive innings came after a strong start to the Afghanistan series. Sharma had scored 82 off 32 balls in the opening match and followed it with 39 in the second T20I.
Under pressure for his place after a lean run of form, Sharma responded emphatically. His performance in Delhi further strengthened his credentials as one of India’s leading T20I openers, while taking his career tally to three international T20 centuries.