Abhishek Sharma hits 108 off 34 as India seal final T20I against Afghanistan at Arun Jaitley Stadium
Abhishek Sharma scored 108 off 34 balls to lead India to victory in the final of the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium last Thursday. The innings featured a 30-ball century and included nine fours and 10 sixes, with 96% of his runs coming in boundaries.
The 26-year-old has featured internationally in only one format but has already produced notable returns: in 58 T20I innings he has recorded three hundreds and 12 half-centuries, averaging 33.17 with a strike-rate of 194.55, along with 182 fours and 126 sixes. His international breakthrough came after a difficult start — he "fell for a second-ball duck against Zimbabwe in Harare in July 2024" and, as the article records, "the very next day, he made the world sit up and take notice by smashing a 47-ball century" against the same opponents.
In the series decider at the National capital, Abhishek reached his third T20I century in just 30 deliveries and finished on 108 from 34 balls. The hundred was his first since the 47-ball ton against Zimbabwe and came "a good 19 months after his previous ton, against England in Mumbai in February 2025," according to the report; by the time he was dismissed he had added another six to his tally.
Across the three matches at the venue, Abhishek had earlier posted scores of 82 (32b) and 39 (19b). His lowest strike-rate in the series was 205.26 in game two, with the other strike-rates recorded as 256.25 and 317.64, the latter described in the piece as having ended competitive interest in the dead rubber early.
The article sets Abhishek’s innings against Afghanistan’s bowling resources, naming Rashid Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi as the frontline quartet he confronted. It also cites the innings as a record: "It is the fastest T20I hundred against a full-member nation, the fastest ton internationally in the 20-over game by a batter from a full-member country."
On broader measures of value, the piece notes the Indian Premier League’s Orange Cap as a season-long runs award and outlines one proposed combined metric: adding a T20I average and strike-rate, which gives Abhishek a total of 227.72 in his case. The article records that he has struck a balance between aggression and selectivity, rarely using extravagant foot movement or unconventional shots and preferring areas in front of square.
His recent form follows a mixed T20 World Cup that began with three ducks but included "a blazing half-century in the final," and the report points to his List A numbers as context for multi-format potential: in 68 List A innings he averages 33.78 and strikes at 100.18. The piece also notes competition for 50-over places in the India top order, referencing Yashasvi Jaiswal’s two hundreds in his last three ODI innings and naming Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as one of the players challenging for spots.
The article concludes by noting the immediate calendar implication: India are set to defend the Asian Games gold medal in exactly a week, with Abhishek entering that assignment on the back of the T20I series performances.
