Abhishek Sharma raced to a 30-ball century against Afghanistan in the third T20I at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on September 17, 2026, setting the record for the fastest T20I hundred by a batter from an ICC Full-Member nation.
Abhishek finished on 108 off 34 balls, including nine fours and 11 sixes. He reached his half-century in just 16 deliveries and needed only 14 more balls to complete his century. He was dismissed in the tenth over, by which time India were 142 for 1. Opening partner Sanju Samson contributed 34 off 25 balls.
The previous Full-Member record of 33 balls was jointly held by Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza, who achieved the feat against Gambia on October 23, 2024, and New Zealand’s Finn Allen, who matched it against South Africa on March 4, 2026. Abhishek improved the benchmark by three deliveries.
Abhishek’s place among the fastest T20I centuries
Across all T20I nations, Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan holds the overall record with a 27-ball century against Cyprus in 2024. Turkey’s Muhammad Fahad follows with a 29-ball hundred against Bulgaria in Sofia in 2025. Abhishek’s 30-ball innings ranks third overall and is now the fastest by a Full-Member batter.
Abhishek also broke India’s national record for the fastest T20I century. Rohit Sharma had held the mark with a 35-ball hundred against Sri Lanka in Indore on December 22, 2017. Abhishek’s innings was five balls quicker.
The scale of the assault is reflected in the numbers. Abhishek hit a six every 3.09 balls during his 34-ball innings and had contributed just over 76 per cent of India’s total of 142 for 1 when he was dismissed. His boundary frequency and sustained aggression against a Full-Member attack make it one of the most destructive T20I innings ever recorded.
A rapid rise in Abhishek Sharma’s T20I career
This was Abhishek’s third T20I century, putting him among an elite group of Indian batters. Only Rohit Sharma, with five T20I hundreds, and Suryakumar Yadav, with four, have scored more centuries for India in the format. The latest innings further strengthens Abhishek’s reputation as a destructive match-winner at the top of the order.
The knock also highlights the increasing pace of T20I batting at the highest level. Abhishek’s acceleration from a 16-ball fifty to a 30-ball century against international bowling sets a new standard for Full-Member batters and underlines his growing impact for India.
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