Abhishek Sharma Fastest Century: Indian cricket team’s explosive opening batter, Abhishek Sharma, played a thrilling and historic innings against New Zealand at Henry Stadium in Wellington. With his blistering batting, he rained down fours and sixes all around the ground, setting several major records in the process.
Historic 113-Run Knock in Just 38 Balls
In the match held in Wellington, New Zealand set a challenging target of 199 runs for the Indian team. India chased down this substantial total with ease, reaching the target in just 13.2 overs.
The primary architect of this spectacular victory was Abhishek Sharma, who remained unbeaten on 113 runs off just 38 balls. His strike rate underscored the immense pressure he exerted on the opposition bowlers right from the start.
Record-Breaking Partnership with Vaibhav Suryavanshi
Abhishek Sharma was ably supported by the team’s young opening partner, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who played a rapid-fire innings of 44 runs off just 19 balls.
Together, the two young players took the field by storm, forging a blistering 133-run partnership in a mere 4.1 overs. During this innings, Abhishek reached his half-century in just 14 balls and his century in 35 balls.
New Milestone in T20 International Centuries
With this sensational performance, Abhishek Sharma has now recorded four centuries in T20 International (T20I) cricket.
He has now moved into a joint-second position for the most centuries in T20Is for India:
- Rohit Sharma: 5 centuries (at the top)
- Suryakumar Yadav: 4 centuries
- Abhishek Sharma: 4 centuries
Major Records Created and Broken During the Innings
This innings by Abhishek Sharma was not just a match-winning performance; it also shattered several long-standing cricket records:
- 3 Centuries in Under 40 Balls (World Record): This marks the third time that Abhishek has scored a century in fewer than 40 balls. Prior to this, he had scored a century off 30 balls against Afghanistan and another off 37 balls against England at the Wankhede Stadium. He is the first player in the history of cricket to record three centuries in under 40 balls.
- Multiple Centuries in Very Few Balls: Abhishek has now recorded 4 T20 centuries (across all formats—international, domestic, and franchise cricket) in 35 balls or fewer—a feat in which he is far ahead of other players.
- Fastest T20I Century Against New Zealand: Abhishek has broken the record previously held by his teammate Ishan Kishan (42 balls) for the fastest T20I century against New Zealand. Ishan had set that record in January of this year.
- Half-Centuries in 15 or Fewer Balls: Abhishek has now recorded three T20I half-centuries in 15 balls or fewer. No other batter in the world has managed to achieve such a feat more than once.
- Most Sixes by an Indian in a T20I Innings: During this innings, Abhishek hit a total of 11 sixes, which is the highest number of sixes hit by any Indian batter in a single T20I innings.
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