Abhishek Sharma’s 30‑Ball Century: India’s Fastest T20I Hundred Explained

A Record‑Breaking Innings

On 17 September 2026, Abhishek Sharma reached a T20I hundred in just 30 balls during the third match against Afghanistan at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. He struck 10 sixes and nine boundaries before reaching the milestone, with the team total reading 132 for 0 after 8.3 overs. After completing his century, he sat on the pitch and imitated the meditation celebration popularised by Erling Haaland. Sharma was later dismissed by Rashid Khan for 108 runs off 34 balls India Today.

Match Context and Series Build‑Up

The innings came in the series finale of the Friendship Cup, a T20I series between India and Afghanistan. Earlier in the series, Sharma had announced his return to form with a 32‑ball 82 in the opening match, which India won comfortably, and followed it with a blistering 39 in the second game. Before the Delhi series, he had endured a lean patch, going without a fifty in seven consecutive innings that included four single‑digit scores, and faced competition for the opener’s spot from 15‑year‑old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sanju Samson India Today. The toss saw Afghanistan’s captain Ibrahim Zadran elect to field, a decision that backfired as India’s batsmen dominated the bowling throughout the match.

How the Century Compares Globally

Sharma’s 30‑ball effort is the third‑fastest T20I century ever recorded. The fastest remains Sahil Chauhan’s 27‑ball hundred for Estonia against Cyprus in 2024, followed by Muhammad Fahad’s 29‑ball hundred for Turkey versus Bulgaria in 2025. Rohit Sharma’s previous Indian record of 35 balls against Sri Lanka in 2017 now sits fourth on the list. Moreover, the innings is noted as the fastest hundred by a batter facing a Test‑playing nation, and Sharma became only the fourth Indian batter to score three or more hundreds in men’s T20Is India Today.

Technical Implications and Future Outlook

Earlier in his career Sharma had been identified as vulnerable against off‑spin, a weakness that opposition teams looked to exploit in the T20 World Cup. In this innings, however, he dominated Rashid Khan, who was bowling in the powerplay for the first time in the series, hitting two boundaries through the covers before lofting one over long‑on into the stands. His ability to score all around the ground and to free his arms against Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the ninth over demonstrated a marked technical improvement. At 26, Sharma is establishing himself as a premier opener, adding depth to India’s top order. With Rohit Sharma’s tally of five hundreds as the next milestone, and the Asian Games in Japan on the horizon, his form in Delhi suggests he could be a key asset for India’s upcoming campaigns India Today.

Search Interest and Public Reaction

Google Trends data shows a sharp spike in searches for “fastest t20i century” in India on the day of the match, reflecting widespread curiosity about the feat Google Trends. Social media videos of Sharma’s meditation pose after reaching his hundred went viral, with fans comparing it to the celebration of football star Erling Haaland. The innings sparked discussions about India’s batting depth and the evolving role of aggressive openers in T20 cricket.