Fan-favourite 'Sharma Ji' breaks Rohit’s record with 30-ball T20I century

Abhishek Sharma on Thursday went past former skipper Rohit Sharma, slamming the fastest T20 International century by an Indian batter off only 30 balls during the third and final match against Afghanistan here.

The left-handed opener clobbered 10 sixes and nine fours in a whirlwind knock to break Rohit's record -- a 35-ball century which he made against Sri Lanka in December 2017.

Scoring at a whopping strike-rate of 317.64, Abhishek eventually fell for 108 off 34 balls with a total of 11 sixes and nine fours.

Abhishek’s century was also the fastest for any batter against a Test playing nation, and he brought up his hundred with a single in the ninth over of the Indian innings.

With a 30-ball hundred, Abhishek’s knock is now the third in the list of fastest T20I hundreds.

Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan recorded the fastest ton off only 27 balls against Cyprus in June 2024, while Muhammad Fahad brought up his ton for Turkey against Bulgaria in only 29 balls in July 2025.

The innings was also Abhishek’s third century in the shortest format to go with 12 half-centuries.

Abhishek went firing on all cylinders after a rather slow start which saw the left-handed batter hitting his first four on the fourth ball of the opening over.

He found his rhythm in the second over with two sixes and a four against Azmatullah Omarzai, and went ballistic against Fazalhaq Farooqi, hammering two sixes and as many fours off the first four deliveries in the third over.

Bringing up his fifty in the fifth over, off only the 16th ball he faced, Abhishek had reached 76 off 22 balls to take India past the 100-mark at the end of power play.

Abhishek’s blitz came to an end on the penultimate delivery of the 10th over when he edged one behind off Rashid Khan.

The 26-year-old scored his maiden T20I ton against Zimbabwe in his debut series in 2024, but his fastest in terms of balls faced before Thursday had come against England at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.

While scoring a 54-ball 135 against England, Abhishek completed his century off 37 balls, which was the second fastest ton for India in the shortest format until Thursday.

It is now the third fastest hundred in the list for an Indian batter.