Abhishek Sharma Creates History with Record-Breaking Ton

Abhishek Sharma on Thursday broke the record for the fastest century in Indian T20I history. He took only 30 balls to reach three figures against Afghanistan in the third T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, breaking the record of Rohit Sharma, who hit one off 35 balls against Sri Lanka in Indore in 2017.

He began cautiously, taking his time against Fazalhaq Farooqi, before opening his account in the first over with a four-through extra cover.

The left-handed player dramatically shifted gears once he found his rhythm. In the second over, he bowled at Azmatullah Omarzai and hit a leg-side delivery over deep square leg before coming down the track and hitting a six-over sweeper cover.

Farooqi then bore the brunt of the attack, with Abhishek repeatedly taking advantage of short deliveries. He entered the line, assisted one to cross fine leg, and then threw another straight to the ground.

The biggest assault came against off-spinner Mohammad Nabi in the fifth over. Abhishek smashed Nabi for three sixes and a four, bringing up his fifty in just 14 balls. He continued attacking Mujeeb Ur Rahman, striking him for two sixes in the seventh over, including one straight down the ground.

Rashid Khan also came under pressure as Abhishek charged down the track and lofted him over wide long-on. He beat Rohit Sharma's previous Indian record of 35 balls and scored his hundred in 30.

Abhishek’s innings ended at 108 when Rashid induced an edge behind the stumps. Rahmanullah Gurbaz completed the catch after a review confirmed the contact.