Stats: Abhishek’s record-breaking ton floors Afghanistan
byRoshan Gede•
Abhishek Sharma smashed a 34-ball 108© BCCI
Abhishek Sharma smashed a 34-ball 108©BCCI
All the stats highlights from Abhishek Sharma’s blistering hundred in the third T20I against Afghanistan in Delhi on Thursday (September 17)
30 –Abhishek completed his hundred in just 30 balls, making it the fastest in T20Is by a batter from a full-member side. Overall, it ranks third in the format, only behind 27 balls taken by Sahil Chauhan for Estonia against Cyprus (Episkopi, 2024) and 29 balls by Turkey’s Muhammad Fahad against Bulgaria (Sofia, 2025)
Fastest T20I hundreds (full-member teams)
| Balls | Player | Team | Opponents | Venue, Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Abhishek Sharma | <a href="https://absafricatv.com/from-historical-solidarity-to-strategic-trade-the-india/” title=”From historical solidarity to strategic trade: The India”>India | Afghanistan | Delhi, 2026 |
| 33 | Sikandar Raza | Zimbabwe | Gambia | Nairobi (Ruaraka), 2024 |
| 33 | Finn Allen | New Zealand | South Africa | Kolkata, 2026 |
| 35 | David Miller | South Africa | Bangladesh | Potchefstroom, 2017 |
| 35 | Rohit Sharma | India | Sri Lanka | Indore, 2017 |
8.3 oversis the earliest point at which a batter has reached his hundred in a Men’s T20I. Abhishek held the record previously as well, having got there at the 10.1 over mark against England at the Wankhede Stadium last year. Quinton de Kock (10.2 overs) against West Indies in Centurion in 2023 and Rohit Sharma (11.2 overs) against Sri Lanka in Indore in 2017 are the next two in this list.
10– This was Abhishek’s 10th ton in all T20s, levelling with Virat Kohli for the joint-most among India batters. Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Sanju Samson are joint-second with eight each. As for T20Is, this was the third for the left-hander, as many as his opening partner Samson. Only Rohit (five) and Suryakumar Yadav (four) have more for India.
94.44%of Abhishek’s runs came in boundaries (102 out of 108 – nine fours and 11 sixes). That’s the highest share of runs scored
Highest % of runs scored in boundaries in a T20I hundred
| Percentage | Breakdown | 4s/6s | Batter | Team | Opponent | Venue, Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 94.44% | (102/108) | 9/11 | Abhishek Sharma | India | Afghanistan | Delhi, 2026 |
| 93.33% | (112/120) | 10/12 | Muhammad Fahad | Turkey | Bulgaria | Sofia, 2025 |
| 91.67% | (132/144*) | 6/18 | Sahil Chauhan | Estonia | Cyprus | Episkopi, 2024 |
| 91.53% | (108/118) | 12/10 | Rohit Sharma | India | Sri Lanka | Indore, 2017 |
| 91.09% | (92/101) | 11/8 | Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton | Namibia | Nepal | Kirtipur, 2024 |
11 sixesby Abhishek is the second-most by an India batter in a T20I knock, behind his own 13 against England at the Wankhede Stadium last year last year.
2This was the second instance that Abhishek outscored his opponents in a T20I. No other batter from a full-member team has done so on multiple occasions while scoring a hundred. Overall, it was the fifth such instance for India in the format.
India batters outscoring their opponent in T20Is
| Batter (Score) | Opponent | Opponent score | Venue, Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli (122*) | Afghanistan | 111/8 | Dubai, 2022 |
| Shubman Gill (126*) | New Zealand | 66 | Ahmedabad, 2023 |
| Suryakumar Yadav (100) | South Africa | 95 | Johannesburg, 2023 |
| Abhishek Sharma (135) | England | 97 | Mumbai WS, 2025 |
| Abhishek Sharma (108) | Afghanistan | 94 | Delhi, 2026 |
76*(22) – Abhishek’s score at the end of powerplay is the highest in all T20Is where data is available, surpassing 74*(25) by Portugal’s Kuldeep Gholiya against Malta (Gibraltar, 2023). Travis Head’s 73*(22) against Scotland at Edinburgh in 2024 ranks third in this list.
100/0India’s score in the powerplay on Thursday, their highest in the format, and the joint fifth-highest overall. It was the fourth time India breached 90 in this phase, with Abhishek being the wrecker-in-chief in each. His contribution in the previous three instances read: 59* off 21 in 95/1 against England (Wankhede, 2025), 51* off 14 out of 94/2 against New Zealand (Guwahati, 2026) and 51* off 19 in 92/0 in the T20 World Cup 2026 final in Ahmedabad.
100-plus scores in Overs 1-6 in Men’s T20Is
| Score | Team | Opponent | Venue, Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 116/0 (5.4 overs) | Romania | Serbia | Sofia, 2021 |
| 113/1 | Australia | Scotland | Edinburgh, 2024 |
| 103/1 | Zimbabwe | Gambia | Nairobi, 2024 |
| 102/0 | South Africa | West Indies | Centurion, 2023 |
| 100/0 | England | South Africa | Old Trafford, 2025 |
| 100/0 | India | Afghanistan | Delhi, 2026 |
6 Abhishek got to his fifty in just 17 balls, making it the sixth instance of him getting to the mark in 20 balls or fewer. He’s a distant best on this front too; five other batters have achieved this on three different occasions each: Yuvraj Singh, Colin Munro, Finn Allen, Dasun Shanaka and Adil Butt (Eswatini). Furthermore, it was the fifth time that he got to fifty within the first six overs of a T20I. No one else has done this more than twice among players from full-member teams.
14.44Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson now have the highest run-rate for a century opening stand for India in T20Is (142 in 9.5 overs). The previous record was 13.02 (165 in 12.2 overs) between KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma in Indore in 2017.
221/7 by India is the second-highest T20I total against Afghanistan, only behind Ireland’s 225/7 at Abu Dhabi in 2013. Of the 10 200-plus totals recorded against Afghanistan, four have been by India.
53 This was India’s 53rd 200-plus total in Men’s T20Is, a distant record, followed by 31 for South Africa. RCB ranks second in all T20s with 46 scores in excess of 200.
10 This was the 10th time that India recorded a win by 100 or more runs in Men’s T20Is, the joint-most alongside Canada. Zimbabwe has the next most among full-member sides (eight), followed by six each to Pakistan and England. The 127-run margin is Afghanistan’s worst in defeats in terms of runs in T20Is, surpassing 116 against England at RPS, Colombo at the T20 World Cup 2012.
Afghanistan vs India in India 2026
Afghanistan vs India in India 2026, 3rd T20I
India
Abhishek Sharma
