Abhishek Sharma's Record 30-Ball T20 Century in Delhi
On a warm night in Delhi, Abhishek Sharma didn’t just open for India. He opened fire.
In the third T20 against Afghanistan, the left-hander ripped up the script and rewrote the record books, hammering a 30-ball century – the fastest hundred in a T20 international between two full-member nations. By the time he finally walked off for 108 from 34 deliveries, India had surged to 221-7 in their 20 overs and Afghanistan were left staring at a mountain they had not yet begun to climb.
This was not a gentle climb to three figures. It was a sprint.
Abhishek reached his hundred in the ninth over, with India already romping along at 132-0. He took just 30 balls to get there, and 96 of his first 100 runs came in boundaries. Only three scoring shots before the landmark were anything else: a single in the previous over, a two in the third, and then the calm nudge that took him to three figures. Everything else was carnage.
Nine fours. Eleven sixes. A wagon wheel that felt less like a chart and more like a crime scene.
Afghanistan tried to drag him back with changes of pace and angle. It barely mattered. Anything remotely short disappeared over the leg side. Width vanished through point and extra cover. When they went full, he simply swung through the line and sent the ball arcing into the Delhi night.
At the other end, Sanju Samson played the perfect foil. While the stadium buzzed around Abhishek’s assault, Samson anchored the innings with a measured 50 from 35 balls, giving India a spine to go with the fireworks. His half-century never needed to be extravagant; the tempo was already set, the pressure already suffocating the bowlers.
Afghanistan found brief respite only after Abhishek’s dismissal. Azmatullah Omarzai, the pick of their attack, emerged with credit in the chaos, taking 2-27 in his four overs – a quietly impressive return on a night when the ball seemed to be travelling in only one direction.
Yet the damage was long done. India’s 221-7 stood as a statement total, built almost entirely on one man’s refusal to tap the brakes.
Abhishek arrived at the crease as an opener. He walked back having turned Delhi into his personal highlight reel and the record into his own. Now the only question left hangs over Afghanistan: how do you even begin a chase after an innings like that?
