Indian opener Abhishek Sharma etched his name in cricket history by registering the fastest T20 International century by a batter from a Full Member nation. Achieving this feat in just 30 balls, Sharma accomplished the milestone during the third T20I against Afghanistan held in Delhi.
From the outset, Sharma launched an aggressive assault on the Afghan bowling attack, reaching his half-century in a mere 16 balls. He then continued his momentum, completing his century with an additional 14 deliveries. This remarkable performance eclipsed the previous joint fastest century record of 33 balls, which was held by Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza and New Zealand’s Finn Allen. Raza had achieved the century against Gambia in 2024, while Allen reached the mark against South Africa during the 2026 T20 World Cup.
In a significant development for Indian cricket, Sharma also broke the record for the fastest T20I century by an Indian batter. The earlier record was set by former India captain Rohit Sharma, who scored a 35-ball century against Sri Lanka in 2017.
Sharma’s innings ended in the 10th over when he was dismissed for 108 runs off 34 balls, which included nine fours and 11 sixes. His boundary-hitting rate was extraordinary, hitting a four or six approximately every 3.09 balls. At the time of his dismissal, India’s score was 142 for one, with Sharma contributing over 76 percent of the team’s runs. His opening partner, Sanju Samson, supported the innings with 34 runs from 25 balls.
Notably, while Sharma holds the record for the fastest T20I century by a Full Member nation batter, the overall fastest T20I century record still belongs to Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan. Chauhan scored a century in just 27 balls against Cyprus in 2024, marking the quickest hundred in T20 International cricket history. Thus, Sharma’s 30-ball century stands as the fastest by a Full Member player, whereas Chauhan’s 27-ball effort remains the fastest overall.
This century was Sharma’s third in T20 International cricket, placing him third among Indian players with the most centuries in this format. Rohit Sharma leads the list with five centuries, followed by Suryakumar Yadav with four. Prior to the Afghanistan match, Abhishek Sharma had climbed to second place in the ICC T20I batting rankings, with fellow Indian Ishan Kishan at the top.
Sharma’s latest performance reaffirmed his aggressive style in the shortest format of the game, applying constant pressure on the Afghan bowlers and achieving his century in record time.
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