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Abhishek Sharma produced a record-breaking 34-ball 108 against Afghanistan in the third and final T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Thursday, rewriting several batting records as India posted 221/7.
Abhishek's explosive start saw him score 76 off 22 balls during the first six overs, the highest individual score in overs one to six in men's T20Is. His effort surpassed Portugal's Kuldeep Gholiya, who had scored 74 not out off 25 balls against Malta in Gibraltar in 2023. Australia's Travis Head is third on the list with 73 not out off 22 balls against Scotland in Edinburgh in 2024. The India opener also set a new record for the most T20I sixes scored during the first six overs in a calendar year. Abhishek has now hit 37* sixes in the powerplay in 2026, surpassing his own previous record of 34 sixes in 2025. Muhammad Waseem's 29 sixes in 2023 are the next-best tally. Abhishek's 16-ball fifty against Afghanistan also added to his remarkable record in India's fastest T20I half-centuries. Yuvraj Singh holds the record with a 12-ball fifty against England in Durban in 2007, followed by Abhishek's 14-ball fifty against New Zealand in Guwahati in 2026 and Shivam Dube's 15-ball effort against New Zealand in Visakhapatnam. Abhishek's latest 16-ball fifty is joint-fourth with Hardik Pandya's 16-ball half-century against South Africa in Ahmedabad in 2025. With six T20I fifties in 20 balls or fewer, Abhishek now has the most such half-centuries in the shortest format. Yuvraj Singh, Colin Munro, Adil Butt, Finn Allen and Dasun Shanaka have three each. Abhishek then completed his third T20I century in just 30 balls, becoming the fastest batter from a Full Member nation to score a hundred in men's T20Is. His century also made him the third-fastest centurion overall in T20I cricket. Estonia's Sahil Chauhan holds the overall record with a 27-ball century against Cyprus in 2024, followed by Turkey's Muhammad Fahad with a 29-ball hundred against Bulgaria in 2025. The 30-ball hundred also broke India's previous record of a 35-ball century held by Rohit Sharma, who achieved the feat against Sri Lanka in Indore in 2017. Among Full Member nations, Sikandar Raza and Finn Allen had previously scored 33-ball centuries, while David Miller and Rohit Sharma had 35-ball tons. Abhishek's 11 sixes in his innings are the second-most by an Indian batter in a T20I innings. He holds the Indian record with 13 sixes against England in Mumbai in 2025. Rohit Sharma against Sri Lanka in Indore in 2017, Sanju Samson against South Africa in Durban in 2024, Tilak Varma against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2024 and Ishan Kishan against New Zealand in Thiruvananthapuram in 2026 have each hit 10 sixes in a T20I innings. Abhishek's 108 came off 34 balls and included nine fours and 11 sixes, powering India to 221/7 in their 20 overs. (ANI)
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