Abhishek Sharma mimics Erling Haaland after 30-ball T20I century in third India-Afghanistan T20I
Abhishek Sharma copied Erling Haaland’s on-field celebration after scoring a record century for India in the third T20I against Afghanistan on September 17, 2026. He reached the milestone in 30 balls, the fastest T20I hundred by a batter from a full-member nation.
Sharma has produced a range of celebrations during his career, particularly in the IPL, and a video circulating on social media showed him recreating the Norwegian striker’s routine. This innings was his third T20I hundred and it also surpassed Rohit Sharma’s mark for the fastest T20I century by an Indian batter.
A clip shared around the match captured the celebration and was circulated with the FanCode post that read: "STAY HUMBLE EH100* of 30 ballsStream the Afghanistan vs India T20I series LIVE only on FanCode #AFGvIND pic.twitter.com/Y04lGfoe0n— FanCode (@FanCode) September 17, 2026". The footage shows the celebration Haaland typically uses after scoring goals in the Premier League.
Sharma’s knock included a 50 off 16 balls and he finished at 108 from 34 deliveries, striking nine boundaries and 11 sixes. His rapid start to the innings set the platform for the 30-ball century before he was dismissed at 108.
Selectors and observers had questioned Sharma’s top-order place earlier in the series; his spot was not guaranteed with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sanju Samson also in contention for opening slots. Coming into the Delhi leg of the series, Sharma had gone seven innings without a fifty, including four scores in single digits, which increased scrutiny on his form.
Earlier in the series he had produced a fifty in the first T20I and a short, aggressive cameo in the second, and those contributions preceded his match-winning century in the third game. The innings formed part of an ongoing string of impactful performances in the Afghanistan series that addressed pressure on his selection and position at the top of the order.
