Abhishek Sharma produced a spectacular batting display in the third T20I against Afghanistan on Thursday, September 17, scoring 108 runs from only 34 balls at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
The India opener smashed nine fours and 11 sixes during his innings. After Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran opted to field first, Abhishek and Sanju Samson put together 142 runs for the opening wicket in just 9.5 overs.
The 26-year-old batter from Amritsar’s explosive innings saw him break several records, including marks listed among the best in international and T20 cricket.
Fastest T20I Century by an Indian
Abhishek reached his century in only 30 balls, setting a new record for the fastest T20I hundred by an Indian batter.
The previous Indian record belonged to Rohit Sharma, who scored a 35-ball century against Sri Lanka in Indore on December 22, 2017.
| Player | Balls | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abhishek Sharma | 30 | Afghanistan | Delhi | September 17, 2026 |
| Rohit Sharma | 35 | Sri Lanka | Indore | December 22, 2017 |
| Abhishek Sharma | 37 | England | Mumbai (WS) | February 2, 2025 |
| Sanju Samson | 40 | Bangladesh | Hyderabad | October 12, 2024 |
| Tilak Varma | 41 | South Africa | Johannesburg | November 15, 2024 |
His 30-ball hundred also ranks as the third-fastest century recorded in men’s T20Is.
| Player | Country | Balls | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sahil Chauhan | Estonia | 27 | Cyprus | Episkopi | June 17, 2024 |
| Muhammad Fahad | Turkey | 29 | Bulgaria | Sofia | July 12, 2025 |
| Abhishek Sharma | India | 30 | Afghanistan | Delhi | September 17, 2026 |
| Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton | Namibia | 33 | Nepal | Kirtipur | February 27, 2024 |
| Sikandar Raza | Zimbabwe | 33 | Zambia | Nairobi (Ruaraka) | October 23, 2024 |
| Finn Allen | New Zealand | 33 | South Africa | Kolkata | March 4, 2026 |
Fastest T20I Century by a Test-Nation Player
Abhishek’s 30-ball century also set a new mark for the fastest T20I hundred by a player representing a Test-playing nation.
The previous record was jointly held by Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza and New Zealand’s Finn Allen, who both reached their centuries in 33 balls.
| Player | Country | Balls | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abhishek Sharma | India | 30 | Afghanistan | Delhi | September 17, 2026 |
| Sikandar Raza | Zimbabwe | 33 | Zambia | Nairobi (Ruaraka) | October 23, 2024 |
| Finn Allen | New Zealand | 33 | South Africa | Kolkata | March 4, 2026 |
| Rohit Sharma | India | 35 | Sri Lanka | Indore | December 22, 2017 |
| David Miller | South Africa | 35 | Bangladesh | Potchefstroom | October 29, 2017 |
Abhishek also created a new record for the highest individual score during the powerplay in men’s T20Is. He scored 76 not out from 22 balls during the first six overs against Afghanistan.
| Player | Country | Runs (Balls) | Against | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abhishek Sharma | India | 76* (22) | Afghanistan | Delhi | 2026 |
| Kuldeep Gholiya | Portugal | 74* (25) | Malta | Gibraltar | 2023 |
| Travis Head | Australia | 73* (22) | Scotland | Edinburgh | 2024 |
| Wintley Burton | Serbia | 68* (21) | Bulgaria | Sofia | 2022 |
| George Munsey | Scotland | 68* (28) | Austria | Edinburgh | 2023 |
First Indian With Multiple T20I Innings of 10+ Sixes
With 11 sixes against Afghanistan, Abhishek became the first Indian batter to hit at least 10 sixes in a T20I innings on more than one occasion.
He had previously smashed 13 sixes during his 145-run innings against England in Mumbai in 2025.
| Player | Runs | Balls | Sixes | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abhishek Sharma | 135 | 54 | 13 | England | Mumbai (WS) | February 2, 2025 |
| Abhishek Sharma | 108 | 34 | 11 | Afghanistan | Delhi | September 17, 2026 |
| RG Sharma | 118 | 43 | 10 | Sri Lanka | Indore | December 22, 2017 |
| SV Samson | 107 | 50 | 10 | South Africa | Durban | November 8, 2024 |
| NT Tilak Varma | 120* | 47 | 10 | South Africa | Johannesburg | November 15, 2024 |
| Ishan Kishan | 103 | 43 | 10 | New Zealand | Thiruvananthapuram | January 31, 2026 |
Abhishek Joins Elite Group With 10 T20 Centuries
The latest century took Abhishek’s total number of hundreds in T20 cricket to 10.
He has scored three centuries for India, two for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL and five in domestic cricket for Punjab.
| Team | Time Span | Matches | Runs | Best Score | 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi Daredevils | 2018-2018 | 3 | 63 | 46* | 0 |
| India | 2024-2026 | 59 | 1858 | 135 | 3 |
| India A | 2024-2024 | 4 | 134 | 58 | 0 |
| Punjab | 2019-2025 | 54 | 1853 | 148 | 5 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 2019-2026 | 89 | 2316 | 141 | 2 |
Abhishek now has 10 T20 centuries, matching Virat Kohli’s tally in the format. KL Rahul, Sanju Samson and Rohit Sharma are next with eight centuries each.
| Player | Matches | Runs | 100s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | 430 | 14,218 | 10 |
| Abhishek Sharma | 209* | 6224* | 10 |
| KL Rahul | 253 | 8718 | 8 |
| Sanju Samson | 351* | 9027* | 8 |
| Rohit Sharma | 472 | 12,531 | 8 |
Abhishek’s latest hundred was his third in T20Is. He is now the fourth Indian, after Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson, to score at least three T20I centuries.
His first T20I century came against Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club on July 7, 2024. He registered his second hundred against England at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on February 2, 2025, before reaching his third century against Afghanistan in Delhi on September 17, 2026.
He is also the first Indian batter to score a T20I century in three consecutive calendar years.
Abhishek Sharma’s Best T20I Scores
| Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Strike Rate | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 135 | 54 | 7 | 13 | 250 | England | Mumbai (WS) | February 2, 2025 |
| 108 | 34 | 9 | 11 | 317.64 | Afghanistan | Delhi | September 17, 2026 |
| 100 | 47 | 7 | 8 | 212.76 | Zimbabwe | Harare | July 7, 2024 |
| 84 | 35 | 5 | 8 | 240 | New Zealand | Nagpur | January 21, 2026 |
| 82 | 32 | 7 | 7 | 256.25 | Afghanistan | Delhi | September 23, 2026 |
The record for the most T20I centuries is jointly held by Rohit Sharma and Australia’s Glenn Maxwell, with both players having five hundreds in the format.