By Siddhant Tripathi3 min read
In an exhibition of ferocious, uninhibited ball-striking, Indian opener Abhishek Sharma dismantled the bowling attack in Delhi, writing his name into the history books with a sensational 30-ball century against Afghanistan. The left-hander turned the contest into an unforgettable masterclass of modern power-hitting, producing an innings that rewrote cricket statistics across formats.
Achieving multiple global milestones in a single game is a rarity in international cricket, but Abhishek accomplished the unthinkable by shatteing five major benchmarks in one blistering knock. From blitzing the fastest hundred ever seen among Full Member nations to matching an Indian batting icon, his heroics have raised the bar for boundary-hitting excellence.
Five Unbelievable Abhishek Sharma Records in a Single Knock
The hallmark of Abhishek’s batting has always been an aggressive mindset, but his knock against Afghanistan pushed attacking batsmanship into uncharted territory. Here is a breakdown of the monumental records he shattered during his historic century:
1. Fastest T20I Century by a Batter from a Test-Playing Nation (30 Balls)
Abhishek reached the three-figure mark in just 30 deliveries, making it the fastest century by any batter representing a Test-playing nation in T20 International history. He eclipsed the previous Full Member benchmark of 33 balls, jointly held by Zimbabwe stalwart Sikandar Raza and New Zealand dasher Finn Allen. The thunderous assault also comfortably wiped out Rohit Sharma’s long-standing Indian record of a 35-ball ton against Sri Lanka in 2017.
2. Most Boundary Runs While Reaching a Century (96 Runs)
Perhaps the most jaw-dropping element of the innings was how few singles and doubles Abhishek required. When he raised his bat upon completing his hundred, an astonishing 96 of those runs had come strictly in boundaries. Abhishek peppered the boundary ropes with nine fours and cleared the fence with ten massive sixes, leaving just four runs accumulated through running between the wickets—a world record for boundary dominance while reaching a century.
3. Earliest Point in an Innings to Reach a T20I Hundred (8.3 Overs)
Reaching a century is usually reserved for the middle or death overs, but Abhishek achieved the feat in merely 8.3 overs—just 51 balls into India’s team innings. In doing so, he broke his own previous world record of 10.1 overs, set against England. This remarkable feat underlines the unprecedented tempo India maintained from ball one, leaving the Afghan bowlers with no respite during or immediately after the powerplay.
4. Equalling Virat Kohli’s T20 Centuries Mark (10 Hundreds)
With this blitzkrieg, Abhishek also notched his 10th century in overall Men’s T20 cricket, drawing level with Virat Kohli for the most centuries scored by an Indian batter in the 20-over format. Matching a player of Kohli’s stature in overall T20 hundreds is a testament to Abhishek’s prolific conversion rate and growing stature as one of the format’s premier match-winners.5. Only Batter to Feature Twice in the Top 5 Fastest Men’s T20 TonsThe 30-ball masterclass against Afghanistan propelled Abhishek into an exclusive league. He is now the only cricketer in history to appear twice among the five fastest centuries ever recorded in Men’s T20 cricket across domestic and international levels.
Top 5 Fastest Centuries in Men’s T20 Cricket History
Abhishek’s international masterstroke sits shoulder-to-shoulder with his domestic exploits, cementing his reputation as an unstoppable force when he gets going. Now Abhishek Sharma is only batter who has 2 innings in the Top 5 Fastest centuries in T20 Format. (28 Balls and 30 Balls)