Abhishek Sharma Creates History With A 30-Ball Century Against Afghanistan

Abhishek Sharma produced one of the most extraordinary innings in T20I history on Thursday, blasting a 30-ball century against Afghanistan in the third T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium — the fastest hundred by a batter from any ICC full-member nation and the fastest ever by an Indian.

The left-hander eclipsed the previous full-member benchmark of 35 balls, a mark jointly held by Rohit Sharma (vs Sri Lanka, 2017) and South Africa's David Miller (vs Bangladesh, 2017). In doing so, Abhishek also surpassed his own name in the record books — he had earlier shared the record for the fastest century by an Indian in men's T20 cricket, a 28-ball effort, though that milestone came outside the international arena.

Sharma's assault on the Afghan bowlers was relentless from the very first over. He raced to fifty off just 16 balls, tearing into Mohammad Nabi with three sixes in a single over, before continuing the carnage against Rashid Khan and Fazalhaq Farooqi. By the fifth over, he was already past 60, and the hundred followed in a blur of boundaries as India cruised past 100 inside the powerplay overs.

His century is now the third-fastest in T20I history overall, and the fastest recorded against a Test-playing nation. Only two centuries have come quicker — Sahil Chauhan's 27-ball blitz for Estonia against Cyprus in 2024, and Muhammad Fahad's 29-ball hundred for Turkey against Bulgaria in 2025. Both of those knocks came against Associate opposition, making Sharma's effort against a full-member side in Afghanistan all the more significant.

Abhishek Sharma - Stats

Fastest Hundreds In T20I Cricket

Fastest Hundred By An Indian Batter In T20I Cricket

Fastest T20I Centuries Against A Test Playing Nation