In a dazzling display of power hitting, India’s rising star Abhishek Sharma etched his name into the record books by registering the quickest T20 International hundred ever recorded by a batter from a Test‑playing country. The feat was achieved in a high‑octane match against Afghanistan at the iconic stadium in Delhi, where Sharma smashed his way to a 108‑run knock off just 30 deliveries. From the very first ball, Sharma made it clear that he was in total control. He launched an astonishing 11 sixes and struck nine fours, turning his 34‑ball cameo into a masterclass of aggressive batting.
By the time he reached his century, he had already eclipsed the previous bests set by New Zealand’s Finn Allen and Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza, who had both reached three‑figure scores in 33 balls. Allen’s landmark ton came during the T20 World Cup semi‑final against South Africa in Kolkata earlier this year, while Raza’s hundred was recorded against Gambia in Nairobi in October 2024. With this new milestone, Sharma not only surpassed Allen’s record but also claimed the distinction of having the fastest hundred in a T20 International contested between two full‑member Test nations. The overall global list of rapid T20I centuries is dominated by players from associate nations.
Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan holds the top spot with a 27‑ball hundred against Cyprus in 2024, and Turkey’s Muhammad Fahad follows closely with a 29‑ball effort against Bulgaria a year later. Sharma’s 30‑ball innings therefore places him third on the all‑time list, a remarkable achievement for a player still in the early stages of his international career.
The women’s game also boasts its own lightning‑fast centuries. West Indies’ Deandra Dottin remains the record holder with a 38‑ball hundred against South Africa during the 2010 Women’s World Cup in St Kitts. While Sharma’s accomplishment belongs to the men’s format, it highlights the growing trend of explosive batting across both genders.
Sharma’s innings was pivotal in India’s dominant 221‑7 total, a score that proved too much for the Afghan side, who were bowled out for just 94 runs. The comprehensive victory secured a 3‑0 series whitewash for India and underscored Sharma’s emerging role as a match‑winning batsman. This century marks his third in T20 internationals, placing him behind only two Indian greats in terms of the number of hundreds: Rohit Sharma, who has five, and Suryakumar Yadav, who has four. Rohit Sharma, the former captain, previously held India’s fastest T20I century record, achieving a 35‑ball ton against Sri Lanka in Indore back in 2017.
Sharma’s new record therefore not only surpasses the achievements of his overseas counterparts but also rewrites the benchmark set by his senior teammate. It is worth noting that Sharma’s rapid scoring ability is not confined to the international arena. Earlier in 2024, he registered an even faster hundred in domestic T20 cricket, blasting 100 runs off just 28 balls for Punjab in a match against Meghalaya.
This domestic performance foreshadowed the kind of explosive potential he would later unleash on the world stage. Beyond his batting heroics, Sharma contributed in the field during Afghanistan’s doomed chase.
He took a crucial catch at deep mid‑wicket, dismissing Sediq Atal with a clean sweep, further emphasizing his all‑round impact on the game. The Indian bowlers, led by Nitish Kumar Reddy’s three‑wicket haul in the 12th over, wrapped up the Afghan innings in just 14.1 overs, delivering a crushing 127‑run win and sealing the series sweep. The significance of Sharma’s record extends beyond the numbers. It reflects the evolving nature of modern cricket, where power hitting and aggressive intent have become central to the shortest format.
Young players around the world now look to emulate such feats, and Sharma’s achievement will undoubtedly inspire a new generation of batsmen to push the limits of speed and skill. In summary, Abhishek Sharma’s 30‑ball century against Afghanistan not only set a new standard for Test‑nation batters in T20 Internationals but also placed him among the elite few who have ever approached the sub‑30‑ball milestone.
His performance, complemented by a dominant team display, reinforced India’s supremacy in the series and added a fresh chapter to the annals of fast‑scoring cricket. As Sharma continues to develop, the cricketing world will be watching closely to see how many more records he can shatter and how his aggressive style will shape the future of T20 cricket.