SportsPosted at: Sep 17 2026 11:03PM


Abhishek’s record 30-ball ton powers India to 3-0 sweep over Afghanistan

Tridib Baparnash
New Delhi, Sep 17 (UNI) Abhishek Sharma fine-tuned his preparations for the upcoming Asian Games with the fastest T20I century by a batter from a Full Member nation, powering India to a 127-run win over Afghanistan in the third and final match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Thursday and a 3-0 series sweep.
Abhishek reached his hundred in just 30 balls, bettering the previous record - jointly held by Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza (vs Gambia in 2024), and New Zealand's Finn Allen (vs South Africa at the 2026 T20 World Cup) - by three balls. Rohit Sharma’s 35-ball century against Sri Lanka in 2017 was the previous Indian record.
The left-hander eventually fell for a stunning 108 off 34 balls, smashing nine fours and 11 sixes. It was his third T20I hundred, trailing only Rohit (five) and Suryakumar Yadav (four) among Indian batters. Sahil Chauhan, who smashed a 27-ball ton for Estonia against Cyprus in 2024, continues to hold the record for the fastest century in all T20Is.
Abhishek and Sanju Samson set the tone from the outset after Afghanistan chose to field. Abhishek raced to his half-century in 16 balls and needed only another 14 deliveries to reach three figures. The opening pair added 142 runs, with India reaching 100 without loss in the powerplay, their highest-ever score in the first six overs of a T20I.
Samson also continued his good run, scoring 50 off 35 balls with two fours and four sixes. Tilak Varma’s promotion to No. 3 did not work as he was run out for two, while captain Shreyas Iyer contributed with a valuable 29 off 20. Shivam Dube added 14 off 10 and Ishan Kishan made 10 off eight as India finished on 221/7.
Chasing 222, Afghanistan squandered a positive start through skipper Ibrahim Zadran (25 off 16) and wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz (15 off 11), who added 31 for the opening wicket. Axar Patel then struck twice in five deliveries to remove Gurbaz and Sediqullah Atal, before Jasprit Bumrah bowled Darwish Rasooli for a duck. Yash Thakur, who came into the match, replacing Arshdeep Singh, dismissed Zadran as Afghanistan slipped to 47/4 in the powerplay.
Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi further dented the Afghans, removing Noor ul Rahman for 11 before Nitish Kumar Reddy continued his impressive comeback series, dismissing Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai and Mujeeb Ur Rahman in a three-wicket burst.
Rashid Khan briefly threatened a counterattack but was bowled by Bishnoi, who later completed his three-wicket haul by removing Abdollah Ahmadzai as India wrapped up a comfortable victory.
Brief Scores: India 221/7 in 20 overs (Abhsihek Sharma 108, Sanju Samson 50, Shreyas Iyer 29; Azmatullah Omarzai 2/27) beat Afghanistan 94 all out in 14.1 overs (Ibrahim Zadran 25, Azmatullah Omarzai 17, Nitish Kumar Reddy 3/25, Ravi Bishnoi 3/26).
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