New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) In a display of pure carnage, dynamic left-handed opener Abhishek Sharma lit up the Arun Jaitley Stadium by smashing a record-breaking 30-ball century against Afghanistan in the ongoing third T20I on Thursday.
Abhishek’s masterclass ended on 108 off just 34 deliveries, laced with nine fours and 11 sixes, and got a standing ovation from a standout crowd at the stadium after being caught behind by Rahmanullah Gurbaz off Rashid Khan in the tenth over. By then, Abhishek had ensured early Diwali celebrations had arrived for everyone at Kotla.
Abhishek’s explosive knock eclipsed former captain Rohit Sharma’s 35-ball effort against Sri Lanka, coming at Holkar Stadium, Indore, in 2017 and grabbed the record for the fastest T20I hundred by an Indian men’s batter, as well as the fastest ever hundred by a batter from a Test-playing country in the shortest format.
Overall, it stands as the third-fastest century in men’s T20I history, trailing only Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan (27 balls) and Turkey’s Muhammad Fahad (29 balls). Starting cautiously with a boundary off pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi in the opening over, Abhishek shifted gears dramatically by targeting Azmatullah Omarzai for two sixes and a four in the second over.
The upgrade in Abhishek’s assault came when he clobbered Mohammad Nabi for two sixes and a four to bring up his half-century in a lightning-fast 16 balls. He went on to record 76 runs off 22 balls in the powerplay – the highest individual score ever recorded in overs 1-6 in Men’s T20Is.
Abhishek continued to attack Mujeeb and then Rashid Khan, scoring a scintillating century off just 30 balls, which he celebrated by sitting in a meditation pose, indicating the zen mode he was in while batting.
Abhishek’s father, Rajkumar Sharma, seated in the hospitality stand, was a proud man and couldn’t help but smile and clap. India head coach Gautam Gambhir also wore a huge smile as he lauded the knock from the dugout.
During his stormy knock, Abhishek also set a new world record for the most T20I sixes struck in the powerplay in a single calendar year. As per CricViz, Abhishek raised his 2026 tally to 37 maximums (with seven sixes coming in the power-play in the ongoing game) and shattered his own previous best of 34 maximums hit in the six-over phase in 2025.
–IANS
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