Abhishek Sharma’s 30‑ball T20I century powers India to a 127‑run win and 3‑0 sweep over Afghanistan

Match summary – 17 September 2026, Delhi

Afghanistan won the toss and elected to field at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. India posted 221/7 in 20 overs and then bowled Afghanistan out for 94 in 14.1 overs, winning by 127 runs and completing a 3‑0 series sweep [1]. The series was officially hosted by Afghanistan even though all matches were played in Delhi, so India took the field as the visiting side on home soil [2].

Sharma’s record innings

Opening with Sanju Samson (50 off 35 balls, 4 sixes, 2 fours), Abhishek Sharma reached his hundred in 30 balls with 10 sixes and 9 fours, the fastest T20I century by an Indian batter. He finished on 108 off 34 balls (11 sixes, 9 fours) before being dismissed by Rashid Khan. The opening partnership added 142 runs in 9.5 overs [1]. Sharma was named Player of the Match and Player of the Series.

How the century compares historically

According to the match report, Sharma’s 30‑ball hundred is the quickest by any Indian in men’s T20Is and the fastest among full‑member nations. The report also places it third overall in men’s T20I history when associate members are included, behind a 27‑ball hundred for Estonia (2024) and a 29‑ball hundred for Turkey (2025) [1]. Rohit Sharma’s previous Indian benchmark was a 35‑ball century against Sri Lanka at Indore in 2017.

Why “இந்தியா - ஆப்கானிஸ்தான்” trended in India

Google Trends India recorded approximately 500 searches with 100 % growth for the Tamil term “இந்தியா - ஆப்கானிஸ்தான்” on 18 September 2026 (past‑24‑hour window). The spike followed Sharma’s record innings and the series‑clinching win. Google notes that Trending Now counts are approximate search activity and verify interest, not the truth of news claims [3].

Team changes and debuts

Yash Thakur replaced Arshdeep Singh in India’s XI. Vaibhav Suryavanshi was expected to debut but did not get a chance [1].

Series context and bowling figures

India had already won the first two matches, so the third match sealed the sweep. Although played on Indian soil, Afghanistan was the official host, meaning India took the field as the visiting side [2].

• Nitish Kumar Reddy – 3 wickets
• Ravi Bishnoi – 3 wickets
• Axar Patel – 2 wickets
• Jasprit Bumrah – 1 wicket
• Yash Thakur – 1 wicket

How to verify the details

Readers can cross‑check Sharma’s 30‑ball century against the ICC’s official fastest‑century list for men’s T20Is, confirm the 127‑run margin as India’s largest T20I win over Afghanistan via ESPNcricinfo or the BCCI match summary, and verify Sharma’s career T20I century count (10) and six‑hitting records from the BCCI statistics database.