Abhishek Sharma, the attacking opener, smashed the fastest T20I century by an Indian, reaching 100 off 30 balls in the third T20I against Afghanistan at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday, September 17, 2026. In one of the most blistering displays of boundary-hitting in international cricket history, Abhishek thrashed Afghanistan bowlers all around the park to complete his century in just 30 balls and create history.
His assault also set a new global benchmark for the fastest hundred scored by any batter from an ICC Full-Member nation. Walking out with opening partner Sanju Samson, the southpaw showed clear intent from the opening over. Abhishek picked lengths with authority, dispatching seamers over deep midwicket and neutralising Afghanistan’s spin core with clean, lofted drives.
The 26-year-old Abhishek surpassed Rohit Sharma’s long-standing national benchmark – a 35-ball ton slammed against Sri Lanka in Indore back in December 2017 – to claim the record for the fastest T20I century by an Indian. The Century Milestone: Abhishek reached the triple-digit mark in just 30 deliveries, powered by 9 boundaries and 10 massive sixes.
IND vs AFG 3rd T20I Playing XIs Afghanistan: Ibrahim Zadran (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Darwish Rasooli, Noor Rahman, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Fazalhaq Farooqi India: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, and Jasprit Bumrah Team Century In 6 Overs: Propelled by Abhishek’s blitz, India crossed the 100-run mark inside the six-over Powerplay, leaving Afghanistan’s bowling attack with zero answers. Fastest T20I Hundreds by Indian Batters Batter Balls Opponent Venue Year Abhishek Sharma 30 Afghanistan New Delhi 2026 Rohit Sharma 35 Sri Lanka Indore 2017 Suryakumar Yadav 45 Sri Lanka Rajkot 2023 KL Rahul 46 West Indies Lauderhill 2016 Abhishek Sharma 47 Zimbabwe Harare 2024 Fastest T20I hundreds (FM 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 Fastest T20I hundreds 27 – Sahil Chauhan (Estonia) vs Cyprus, Episkopi, 2024 29 – Muhammad Fahad (Turkey) vs Bulgaria, Sofia, 2025 30 – Abhishek Sharma (India) vs Afghanistan, Delhi, 2026 33 – Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton (Namibia) vs Nepal, Kirtipur, 2024 33 – Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe) vs Gambia, Nairobi (Ruaraka), 2024 33 – Finn Allen (South Africa) vs New Zealand, Kolkata, 2026 Abhishek finished on 108 off 34 balls with nine fours and 11 sixes at a strike rate of 317.64 before Rashid Khan had him caught behind by Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
