Abhishek Sharma Century: India Beat Afghanistan by 127 Runs in 3rd T20I

Abhishek Sharma delivered a breathtaking innings in the India vs Afghanistan 3rd T20I, smashing 108 runs from just 34 balls. His knock included nine fours and 11 sixes and gave India an exceptional start after they were asked to bat first in Delhi.

The landmark moment arrived when Sharma completed his century from only 30 deliveries. The innings established a new record for the fastest T20I century by an Indian batter, surpassing the previous 35-ball mark held by Rohit Sharma.

Sharma’s approach was aggressive from the opening overs. He attacked Afghanistan’s bowlers while Sanju Samson provided support at the other end. Their opening partnership produced 142 runs before Rashid Khan dismissed Abhishek at 142/1 after 9.5 overs.

By the time Abhishek departed, the damage had already been done. His extraordinary scoring rate had put India firmly ahead and provided the platform for the middle order to push the total beyond 200.

India’s innings immediately moved into a different gear during the powerplay. Abhishek Sharma’s aggressive strokeplay, combined with Sanju Samson’s attacking support, allowed India to reach 100/0 after six overs.

The opening pair put Afghanistan’s bowling attack under sustained pressure from the start. Abhishek took the lead in the scoring while Samson continued to find boundaries at the other end, giving India an exceptional platform for the remainder of the innings.

Reaching 100 in the powerplay was a major feature of India’s first-innings dominance. The score also reflected how quickly Abhishek’s innings was changing the match, with his six-hitting allowing India to maintain an unusually high scoring rate.

The opening partnership eventually reached 142 runs before Rashid Khan dismissed Abhishek at 142/1 in the 10th over. By then, India had already established the foundation for a total of 221/7.

While Abhishek Sharma dominated the scoring at one end, Sanju Samson played an important supporting role during India’s record-breaking start. The India wicketkeeper-batter remained aggressive enough to keep the pressure on Afghanistan’s bowlers without taking away from Abhishek’s attacking innings.

Samson reached his half-century from 35 balls, adding another significant contribution to India’s first-innings total. His innings became especially valuable because it allowed Abhishek to continue attacking while India maintained a strong scoring rate through the opening phase.

The pair added 142 runs for the first wicket before Rashid Khan finally broke the partnership by dismissing Abhishek at 142/1 after 9.5 overs. Samson’s contribution had already helped India establish a substantial platform by that stage.

Samson was eventually dismissed after scoring 50, but India’s opening partnership had already placed the innings in a commanding position. India went on to finish on 221/7 from their 20 overs.

Abhishek Sharma’s dismissal at 142/1 after 9.5 overs marked the first major shift in India’s innings. Rashid Khan ended the record-breaking knock after the opener had scored 108 from 34 balls, bringing an extraordinary opening assault to an end.

Afghanistan’s bowlers were able to apply more pressure once the 142-run opening partnership was broken. India lost Tilak Varma soon after, and the scoring rate became noticeably slower compared with the remarkable first half of the innings. The middle order had to rebuild while Afghanistan looked to restrict India below an even larger total.

Sanju Samson continued to contribute and reached his fifty, but he was dismissed for 50 from 35 balls. India’s wickets continued to fall during the middle and latter stages, with Afghanistan making a useful recovery after the explosive opening ten overs.

Despite the slowdown, India still finished on 221/7 from 20 overs. The early acceleration from Abhishek and Samson meant Afghanistan had a substantial target to defend, even after their bowlers had improved during the second half of the innings.

Afghanistan needed 222 runs to win after India’s explosive first innings, but the chase never developed into a serious contest. India struck early and kept taking wickets often enough to prevent the Afghanistan batters from building a substantial partnership.

The visitors were reduced to 51/4 during the powerplay, leaving them with a steep recovery job against an Indian attack that continued to apply pressure. Ibrahim Zadran top-scored for Afghanistan with 25 runs, but no batter was able to turn a start into a significant innings.

India’s attack then tightened its grip through the middle overs. Nitish Kumar Reddy produced the key spell with three wickets, while Ravi Bishnoi also claimed three as Afghanistan’s lower order struggled to stay at the crease.

By the time Afghanistan were bowled out for 94 in 14.1 overs, India had completed one of their biggest wins of the series. The combined impact of the early wickets, middle-over control and disciplined finishing meant Afghanistan never came close to challenging India’s 221/7.

Nitish Kumar Reddy played a major role in India’s second-innings control, finishing with three wickets for 25 runs from his four overs. His spell helped India maintain the pressure after Afghanistan had already lost four wickets during the powerplay.

With 222 required for victory, Afghanistan needed a substantial partnership to keep the chase alive. Instead, wickets continued to fall and the required scoring rate became increasingly difficult to manage. Nitish’s contribution ensured India did not allow the visitors to establish the kind of middle-order partnership that could have changed the momentum.

Reddy’s three-wicket haul was also significant because India’s attack shared the workload effectively. Ravi Bishnoi matched him with three wickets, while Axar Patel added two, leaving Afghanistan without enough batting depth to mount a recovery.

Reddy eventually finished with figures of 3/25, making him one of India’s leading performers with the ball on a night dominated by Abhishek Sharma’s record-breaking century.