Abhishek Sharma Smashes Fastest T20I Century By Full-Member Batter, Reaches 100 In Just 30 Balls Against Afghanistan

Abhishek Sharma rewrote the T20I record books at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday, blazing to a century off just 30 balls against Afghanistan in the 3rd T20I — the fastest hundred by a batter from an ICC Full Member nation in the format’s history.

The left-handed opener tore into Afghanistan’s bowling attack from the first over, reaching his fifty in a mere 16 balls that included three consecutive sixes off Mohammad Nabi. He didn’t let up from there, taking on Rashid Khan and Fazalhaq Farooqi as India raced past 100 inside the powerplay itself.

Breaking Rohit Sharma’s Long-Standing Record

Sharma’s 30-ball hundred shattered the previous Full Member benchmark of 35 balls, a mark jointly held by Rohit Sharma (against Sri Lanka in Indore, 2017) and South Africa’s David Miller (against Bangladesh in Potchefstroom, 2017) for nearly a decade. It is now the fastest century by an Indian in T20Is, and the fastest ever recorded against a Test-playing nation.

Overall, only two centuries in T20I history have come faster — both against Associate opposition: 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. Against a full-strength international attack, Sharma’s innings now stands alone at the top.

A Powerplay Demolition

Sharma eventually fell for 108 off 34 balls, caught behind by wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz off Rashid Khan in the 10th over, having struck 9 fours and 11 sixes. Remarkably, 76 of those runs came inside the powerplay overs alone — the highest individual powerplay score by any batter in men’s T20I history.

The innings also pushed Sharma’s tally to 37 sixes in T20Is in 2026, breaking his own calendar-year record of 34 sixes set in 2025 — underlining a remarkable run of six-hitting form through the year.

The Bigger Picture

Abhishek Sharma has established himself as one of the most destructive openers in world cricket over the past couple of years, and this innings adds another landmark to a growing list of records. For Afghanistan, an attack featuring the calibre of Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Fazalhaq Farooqi found no answers on the day — a sign of just how far ahead of the game Sharma was in Delhi.

With this knock, Sharma’s name now sits at the top of India’s list of fastest T20I centuries, ahead of legends like Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj Singh, and firmly among the fastest hundreds ever struck against a full-strength international bowling attack.