Hyderabad: India and Sunrisers Hyderabad batter Abhishek Sharma smashed the joint-fastest T20 hundred by an Indian batter as he reached his century in just 28 balls. He achieved this significant feat during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match between Punjab and Meghalaya at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium C in Rajkot on Thursday, December 5, 2024.
Abhishek's blistering knock which included seven fours and 11 maximums helped the team chase the target of 143 runs in the 13th over. The left-handed batter also contributed with his spin bowling by taking a couple of wickets.
The performance also helped the youngster break his dismal run in the tournament as he had managed to muster only 149 runs in six innings which included just one 50-plus score.
Gurajat's Urvil Patel had reached the hundred in just 28 balls earlier in the tournament while playing for Gujarat against Tripura in Indore. Before the start of the ongoing edition, the record of fastest T20 hundred by an Indian belonged to Rishabh Pant who had achieved the feat in 32 deliveries against Himachal Pradesh in 2018. Overall, the record for the fastest T20 hundred belongs to Estonia's Sahil Chauhan who notched the ton in just 27 balls against Cyprus.
Meghalaya won the toss and opted to bat first after winning the toss. Punjab bowlers were right on the money throughout the innings and they restricted the Meghalaya innings to 142/7. Abhishek Sharma and Ramandeep Singh picked a couple of wickets each while Ashwani Kumar, Harpreet Brar and Sohraab Dhaliwal picked one wicket each. It was a quick chase for Punjab as Abhishek Sharma led the chase with his scintillating ton.
FASTEST T20 HUNDRED BY INDIAN PLAYERS:
- Abhishek Sharma - 28 balls
- Urvil Patel - 28 balls
- Rishabh Pant - 32 balls
- Rohit Sharma - 35 balls
- Urvil Patel - 36 balls
