Indian national T20I cricket team opener Abhishek Sharma tied the record for the fastest T20 century by an Indian, smashing a 28-ball hundred in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). This incredible feat came just days after Urvil Patel had also scored a century in 28 balls. Abhishek, playing for Punjab, blasted his way to a century against Meghalaya, placing himself among the fastest to reach the three-figure mark in T20 history.

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Punjab comfortably chased down a modest target of 144 set by Meghalaya, who scored 143/7 in their 20 overs. Thanks to Abhishek’s blistering unbeaten knock of 106 runs off just 29 balls, which included 11 sixes and 8 boundaries, Punjab secured a seven-wicket victory in just 9.3 overs.

Fastest Centuries in T20 Cricket

• Sahil Chauhan (Estonia) – 27 balls vs Cyprus in 2024
• Urvil Patel (Gujarat) – 28 balls vs Tripura in 2024
• Abhishek Sharma (Punjab) – 28 balls vs Meghalaya in 2024
• Chris Gayle (RCB) – 30 balls vs Pune Warriors in 2013
• Rishabh Pant (Delhi) – 32 balls vs Himachal Pradesh in 2018

In addition to equalling the record for the fastest T20 century by an Indian, Abhishek Sharma surpassed Suryakumar Yadav's record for the most sixes in a calendar year by an Indian in T20 cricket. In 2024, Abhishek has already hit 87 sixes in 38 innings, while Suryakumar hit 85 sixes from 41 innings in 2022.

Abhishek has scored 256 runs at a strike rate of 171.81 in 12 T20Is for India. He has also accumulated 1376 runs at a strike rate of 155.13 in 63 IPL games, cementing his place as a powerful T20 hitter.