Abhishek Sharma set a new record for the fastest T20I century by an Indian, reaching the milestone in 30 balls as India defeated Afghanistan by 127 runs on September 17, 2026. The victory at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi completed a 3-0 series whitewash for the hosts.
Sharma’s innings eclipsed the previous Indian record of 35 balls held by Rohit Sharma and established a new world record for the fastest century by a batter from a Full Member nation. Supported by his opening partner, Sharma propelled India to a world-record Powerplay score of 100/0 within the first six overs. India finished their innings at 221/7 before bowling out Afghanistan for 94.
Following the match, Sharma attributed his performance to a lack of self-imposed restrictions. “I feel I don’t want to restrict any area. I just want to go and express myself. I don’t want to force the ball. I just want to see and hit the ball,” he said. Addressing the team’s batting style, he added: “We have been doing this for the last 2 years. I told this previously as well; one or two bad series won’t define us as a batting unit.”
This series victory was the first major assignment for Shreyas Iyer since his appointment as T20I captain in June 2026, when he replaced Suryakumar Yadav. Analysis of the performance indicates the 100-run Powerplay reflects a tactical shift toward maximizing aggression from the first ball of the innings, a core component of the side’s current strategy under Iyer’s leadership.
India’s next fixture is against Japan on September 22 at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya. The squad will travel to Japan aiming to maintain the momentum generated by this dominant series performance against Afghanistan.
