Abhishek Sharma hits 30-ball century, breaks Rohit Sharma's Indian record in T20Is

Abhishek Sharma broke a series of records with a blistering 30-ball century during India's third T20I against Afghanistan in New Delhi on Thursday. He became the first batter in history to hit two centuries in less than 40 deliveries in T20Is.Abhishek got to his hundred in 30 balls (Credit: AFP)Abhishek Sharma smashed the fastest T20I century by an Indian, bringing up his third hundred in the format in just 30 balls in the series finale against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday. He broke Rohit Sharma’s record for the fastest T20I century by an Indian, with the former captain having previously reached his hundred in 35 deliveries against Sri Lanka in 2017.AFG vs IND 3rd T20I UpdatesAbhishek had smashed 10 sixes and nine boundaries by the time he reached his hundred, with the team total reading 132 for 0 in 8.3 overs. The Afghanistan bowlers let down their captain after Ibrahim Zadran won the toss and opted to field.After reaching his hundred, Abhishek sat on the pitch and struck a meditation pose, mimicking the celebration made famous by Manchester City striker Erling Haaland. Abhishek was looking set for a daddy hundred, with plenty of time to double his score, but he was dismissed by Rashid Khan for 108 (34 balls) in the 10th over.Nonetheless, Abhishek Sharma became the first batter in the history of T20 internationals to hit two centuries in less than 40 deliveries. Earlier, he had smashed a 37-ball hundred against England at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in 2025. It was also his third century in the shortest format of the game. Varun Chakravarthy had said after the first T20I in Delhi: “Against our batting line-up, you can’t bowl spin.”Afghanistan could neither bowl spin nor pace as the Indian batters feasted on their bowling throughout the ‘Friendship Cup’, which was anything but friendly on the field. On Thursday, Abhishek ensured his teammate’s words rang in the heads of the Afghan bowlers.ABHISHEK’S CENTURY IN NUMBERS30: Abhishek now holds the record for the fastest hundred by a batter against a Test-playing nation.1: He has the fastest hundred by an Indian in T20I cricket.2: Abhishek Sharma is the only batter in T20I history to score two hundred in less than 30 deliveries.3: It’s the third-fastest hundred in T20I history after Sahil Chauhan's 27-ball hundred for Estonia against Cyprus in 2024 and Muhammad Fahad's 29-ball hundred for Turkey against Bulgaria in 2025.4: Abhishek also became only the fourth Indian batter to score three or more hundreds in men’s T20Is.Abhishek Sharma has wonderfully lapped up the opportunities that have come his way in the ongoing T20I series against Afghanistan. There was pressure on him, considering he was competing with 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sanju Samson for the openers’ spots. Before the series in Delhi, Abhishek had been on a lean run, going without a fifty in seven innings — a stretch that included four single-digit scores.76 OFF 22 IN POWERPLAYHowever, Abhishek made his mark as early as the series opener, smashing a 32-ball 82 in India’s one-sided win on Sunday. He followed it up with a blistering 39 in the second T20I.And his fireworks hit a crescendo on Thursday. With India batting first for the first time in the series, Abhishek made his intentions clear as early as the first over, lofting Fazalhaq Farooqi for a lovely drive through the covers.He did not spare Azmatullah Omarzai in the second over either, dancing down the track against the medium-pacer and finding the boundaries, flaunting his form and confidence. The third over was a bloodbath as Farooqi was taken down by the left-hander, who collected 23 runs from the over.Sanju Samson was a mere spectator in the first three overs as Abhishek enjoyed the pace early in his innings.Samson took down the spinners, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi, in the powerplay. Abhishek did not take long to join the party as the double-engine attack came together in the fifth over, which cost Afghanistan 29 runs.Abhishek did not even hold back against Rashid Khan, who was bowling in the powerplay for the first time in the series. The left-hander was in the zone, hitting two boundaries through the covers before lofting one over long-on and into the stands.Abhishek showed some respect to Abdullah Ahmadzai, a fresh face in the Afghanistan bowling unit, when the right-hander bowled two boundaries. But in the very next over, Abhishek had the opportunity to free his arms against Mujeeb before reaching his hundred in the ninth over.Abhishek’s improved ability to play all around the ground will be a headache for opposition bowlers. He was suspect against off-spin earlier this year — a weakness that opposition teams looked to exploit in the T20 World Cup. However, by taking down Rashid and Co., Abhishek has sent a clear message to his detractors and analysts in the opposition camp.At 26, Abhishek is already proving to be one of India’s finest T20I openers. Rohit Sharma’s record tally of five hundreds is the next milestone in sight. If his form in Delhi is anything to go by, he might go for it when India begin their Asian Games campaign in Japan later this month.- EndsPublished On: Sep 17, 2026 20:09 IST