Abhishek Sharma turned the third T20I against Afghanistan into a record-breaking night in Delhi. The 26-year-old batter from Amritsar smashed 108 runs from just 34 balls at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday, September 17.
His explosive innings included 9 fours and 11 sixes. After Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran invited India to bat first, Abhishek and Sanju Samson added a huge 142 runs for the first wicket in 9.5 overs.
Abhishek Sharma’s incredible knock helped him break several batting records, including world records.
1. Fastest T20I Century by an Indian:
Abhishek Sharma reached his century in just 30 balls, setting a new record for the fastest T20I century by an Indian. The previous record belonged to Rohit Sharma, who scored a T20I century in 35 balls against Sri Lanka in Indore on December 22, 2017.
2. Fastest T20I Century by a Full-Member Team Player:
Abhishek Sharma’s 30-ball century also became the fastest T20I hundred by a player from a Test-playing nation. He broke the previous record jointly held by Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza and New Zealand’s Finn Allen, who had both reached their centuries in 33 balls.
3. World Record in the Powerplay:
Abhishek Sharma was even more destructive during the first six overs. He faced 22 balls in the powerplay and scored a stunning 76 runs. His 76 off 22 balls is now the highest individual score by a men’s player in a T20I powerplay.
4. First Indian to Hit 10+ Sixes Multiple Times in T20Is:
Abhishek Sharma smashed 11 sixes against Afghanistan, making him the first Indian batter to hit 10 or more sixes in a T20I innings on multiple occasions. He had previously hit 13 sixes during his sensational 145-run innings against England in Mumbai in 2025.
5. 10 T20 Centuries for Abhishek Sharma:
Abhishek has now reached 10 centuries in T20 cricket. His 10 centuries include 3 centuries for India, 2 centuries for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL and 5 centuries in domestic cricket for Punjab.
Among Indian batters with the most T20 centuries, Virat Kohli and Abhishek Sharma are followed by KL Rahul, Sanju Samson and Rohit Sharma, who have 8 centuries each.
6. Only the 4th Indian with 3+ T20I Centuries:
The century against Afghanistan was Abhishek Sharma’s third T20I hundred. He is now only the fourth Indian after Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson to score three or more T20I centuries.
Abhishek’s three T20I centuries came against:
Zimbabwe: July 7, 2024, at Harare Sports Club
England: February 2, 2025, at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Afghanistan: September 17, 2026, in Delhi
He has also become the first Indian to score a T20I century in three consecutive calendar years.
World Record Still With Rohit Sharma and Glenn Maxwell
The record for the most T20I centuries is currently jointly held by Rohit Sharma and Australia’s Glenn Maxwell. Both the batters have scored 5 T20I centuries each.
Abhishek’s latest century, however, has put him firmly among India’s leading T20I century-makers at just 26 years of age. Well played Abhishek Sharma!
