Abhishek Sharma breaks Rohit Sharma's record with maiden T20I century vs Zimbabwe
Abhishek reached his century in 46 balls while playing in Harare.
In a thrilling display of power hitting, Indian opener Abhishek Sharma unleashed a barrage of sixes in Harare, breaking multiple records in the 2nd T20I against Zimbabwe on Sunday. Under the guidance of the legendary all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, Abhishek made a stunning entrance onto the international stage by scoring a magnificent century against Zimbabwe's spirited side led by Sikandar Raza at the Harare Sports Club. After India lost skipper Shubman Gill early in the powerplay, Abhishek took control of the innings with a fearless counterattack against the formidable bowling of Blessing Muzarabani.
Dominating the Zimbabwe bowlers with ease, Abhishek showcased his talent by reaching his first-ever half-century in just the 10th over. The Indian opener displayed his power by smashing a six off Dion Myers to achieve this milestone. Despite a slow start and being dropped on 27 in Luke Jongwe's first over, Abhishek quickly shifted gears and propelled India to 74-1 in just 10 overs. The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) player made sure to capitalize on Myers' bowling, scoring a whopping 28 runs in the 11th over alone. In a display of pure skill and precision, Abhishek confidently hit two sixes and two fours in Myers' first over.
Abhishek made history by smashing his 47th six of the season, surpassing Rohit Sharma as the batter with the most sixes in 2024. Despite being given out by the umpire in Razas third over, a successful review put the Indian batsman on the cusp of a maiden century. Undeterred, Abhishek continued his aggressive batting, unleashing two more sixes off Wellington Masakadza to storm into the nervous 90s.
With just one hit needed to reach triple digits, Abhishek confidently dispatched Masakadza for another maximum, achieving his first-ever century in a mere 46 balls. Teaming up with Ruturaj Gaikwad, the duo set a new record for the highest partnership for India (106) against Zimbabwe in the shortest format. Not content with just any century, Abhishek blazed his way to the third-fastest century for India in T20Is, reaching the milestone in just 46 balls.
Joining the elite club of T20I centurions for India alongside KL Rahul, Abhishek's feat is only overshadowed by the likes of veteran opener Rohit Sharma, who holds the record for the fastest century for India, achieved in a blistering 35 balls against Sri Lanka in 2017. Following closely behind is Suryakumar Yadav, who smashed a century in 45 balls against the same opponents in Rajkot last year.