Abhishek Sharma Smashes Record-Breaking Century for India Against Afghanistan

India opener Abhishek Sharma proved his status as one of the most dangerous batters in T20 cricket by smashing a world record century against Afghanistan in New Delhi on Thursday.

Abhishek reached his century in just 30 balls during the third match of the T20 series, with world champions India already holding a 2-0 lead. This remarkable feat marked the fastest T20 International century by a full-member player and the third-fastest in history. The all-time quickest T20 International ton belongs to Estonia batter Sahil Chauhan off 27 balls against Cyprus, followed by Turkey's Muhammad Fahad with a 29-ball century against Bulgaria. Prior to Abhishek, Rohit Sharma held the record for the fastest T20 ton by an Indian, scoring it off 35 balls against Sri Lanka in 2017.

During his explosive knock of 108 runs from 34 balls, Abhishek hit nine fours and 11 sixes. He partnered with Sanju Samson to add 142 runs for the opening wicket in under 10 overs. While Sanju Samson largely watched from the other end, Abhishek relentlessly attacked from the start, driving India's score to 100 by the end of the sixth over. Abhishek's innings finally ended when he attempted to cut a wide delivery from spinner Rashid Khan, resulting in an edge behind to wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

Following the dismissal, Sanju Samson took charge and eventually reached his half-century off a more subdued 34 deliveries. The whirlwind performance shifted some attention away from India's team selection, specifically the decision to keep teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on the bench. The 15-year-old opening batter had been anticipated to feature in the dead rubber, particularly after earning player of the series honors in Zimbabwe, but India opted to stick with their first-choice combination.

Looking ahead, India's upcoming T20 assignments include matches against the West Indies and the Asian Games in Japan.