Star Young Indian opener Abhishek Sharma produced one of the most explosive batting displays seen in men’s T20I cricket on Thursday, September 17, smashing a century in just 30 balls against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
The left-handed opener broke Rohit Sharma’s long-standing Indian record for the fastest T20I hundred. Rohit had reached his century in 35 balls against Sri Lanka in Indore in 2017. Abhishek beat that mark by five balls. He also became the fastest T20I centurion from a Full Member nation.
The achievement was even more striking because Abhishek did not need a long stay at the crease to get there. He reached his fifty from only 16 balls before adding another 51 runs from his next 14 deliveries to complete the century.
Abhishek Sharma century: A Record-Breaking 108 Off 34 Balls
Abhishek eventually fell for a stunning 108 off 34 balls, with Rashid Khan taking his wicket just before the halfway stage of the Indian innings. His final score included nine fours and 11 sixes. He scored 102 of his 108 runs in boundaries. Fours and sixes accounted for 94.44% of his runs. According to Cricbuzz’s statistics, that is the highest percentage of runs scored through boundaries in a men’s T20I century.
The 30-ball hundred also moved Abhishek to third on the overall list of fastest T20I centuries. Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan holds the record with a 27-ball hundred, while Turkey’s Muhammad Fahad reached three figures in 29 balls. Among Full Member teams, however, Abhishek now sits at the top.
The previous Full Member record was jointly held by Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza and New Zealand’s Finn Allen, who had both scored T20I hundreds from 33 balls.
Abhishek Sharma century: Powerplay Record Adds to the Night
Abhishek was not finished with the records after reaching his hundred. He smashed 76 runs from just 22 balls during the Powerplay, giving him the highest individual Powerplay score recorded in men’s T20 cricket where the relevant data is available. He went past Portugal’s Kuldeep Gholiya, who had made 74 from 25 balls against Malta in 2023. Travis Head’s 73 from 22 balls against Scotland in 2024 is third on that list.
Abhishek’s assault also helped India make a remarkable start. He and Sanju Samson added 100 runs during the Powerplay, the highest Powerplay total by an Indian men’s team in T20Is. Samson also played his part, scoring a fluent half-century as India kept attacking Afghanistan’s bowling attack.
The Calm Celebration After the Chaos
Perhaps the most memorable picture of the evening came immediately after Abhishek completed his century. After hitting the single that took him to 100, he removed his helmet, sat down on the pitch and slipped into a cross-legged meditation pose. The celebration looked almost completely out of place after the furious hitting that had just taken place.
The gesture quickly reminded fans of Erling Haaland’s well-known meditation-style celebration in football. Abhishek’s version, however, had a personal connection too. Reports after the match said he has been practising meditation for several months and wanted to bring that calmness onto the field.
It created a striking contrast: a batter had just destroyed an international bowling attack, yet celebrated the biggest moment of his innings by sitting quietly in meditation.
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India Complete a 3-0 Clean Sweep
Abhishek’s assault put India in complete control of the final T20I. India finished with 221/7 from their 20 overs, with Abhishek’s 108 and another useful contribution from Samson providing the foundation. Afghanistan never came close to matching that scoring rate. India’s bowlers dismissed them for only 94 in 14.1 overs, giving the hosts a commanding 127-run victory.
The result completed a 3-0 series sweep for India. Abhishek finished the series as the leading run-scorer, collecting 229 runs in three innings, including scores of 82, 39 and 108. He was also named Player of the Match and Player of the Series. For Abhishek, the Delhi night was about far more than one century. He broke Rohit Sharma’s Indian record, set a new Full Member record, rewrote the Powerplay mark and produced an innings in which almost every run came with a boundary. And after all that hitting, he simply sat down and meditated.
