India closed out their T20I series against Afghanistan in Delhi with a flawless 3-0 result, thanks largely to an extraordinary knock from Abhishek Sharma that will be remembered for years.
Batting first, Abhishek tore into the Afghan bowlers, reaching triple figures off just 34 deliveries. That effort now stands as the quickest century in the format against a full member nation, and ranks third fastest overall in T20I history. His innings was built almost entirely on power, with eleven sixes and nine boundaries accounting for the majority of his runs, giving him the distinction of the highest boundary percentage ever recorded in a T20I knock. He also became the first player to register multiple centuries in both 30 balls and 40 balls or under.
His assault helped the openers put on a hundred runs inside the first six overs, a new benchmark for India’s powerplay total. Sanju Samson played the supporting role initially before cutting loose himself, notching his second consecutive fifty once Abhishek departed.
India eventually settled at 221, as canny bowling and reverse swing from Afghanistan pegged back the scoring rate later in the innings.
Chasing a stiff target, Afghanistan never found rhythm and folded for just 94, a stark contrast to their totals in the 150s during the previous two games. Axar Patel was the standout performer with the ball across the series, picking up four wickets while conceding 64 runs in 11 overs. Jasprit Bumrah struck early with a searing yorker, and Nitish Kumar Reddy grabbed three wickets in a single over to hasten the collapse. Reddy finished as the leading wicket taker of the series with six scalps overall.
With the series already sealed, India used the final match to rotate their bowling attack, but the result never looked in doubt.
