Abhishek Sharma’s record-breaking 108 helps India to 3-0 sweep of Afghanistan
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NEW DELHI (AP) — Abhishek Sharma hit 100 off just 30 balls as India beat Afghanistan by 127 runs to complete a sweep of the three-match T20 cricket series Thursday.
It was the fastest T20 hundred among test-playing nations, with Sharma overtaking Finn Allen’s 33-ball effort for New Zealand against South Africa this year.
India won the first match by seven wickets and the second by the same tally.
Sharma scored 108 off 34 balls, amassing 11 sixes and nine fours.
Overall, it was the third-fastest T20 hundred and the fastest by an Indian batter. Rohit Sharma held the previous record, scoring a century off 35 balls against Sri Lanka in 2017.
Sanju Samson scored 50 off 35 balls as the Indian openers hit 100 in the power-play overs — another record. In all, they added 142 off 59 balls.
In reply, Afghanistan collapsed to 94 all out in 14.1 overs as spinners Ravi Bishnoi (3-26) and Axar Patel (2-9) shared five wickets.
Put into bat, India got off the blocks in a hurry as Sharma and Samson hit 50 off only 21 balls.
Sharma got to 50 off 18 balls, hitting five fours and five sixes, and then sped to the next 50 off only 12 balls. He hit another five sixes and four fours to reach his third T20 century.
Afghanistan got the breakthrough in the 10th over, as Sharma was caught behind off Rashid Khan.
India changed up its batting lineup, but it didn’t work — Tilak Varma was run out for 2.
Shivam Dube scored 14, while Ishan Kishan scored 10. Skipper Shreyas Iyer made 29 off 20 balls as India went from 142-1 to 186-4.
In reply, Afghanistan collapsed despite opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz scoring his first runs after two matches. He scored 15 off 11 before Patel bowled him.
Patel picked up a second in the same over when Sediqullah Atal was out caught for 1. Skipper Ibrahim Zadran top-scored with 25 and Afghanistan managed 51-4 in the powerplay.
Wrist spinner Bishnoi ran through the middle and lower order, while all-rounder Nitish Reddy also picked up late wickets to finish with 3-25 in four overs.
It was Afghanistan’s heaviest T20 defeat (by runs) against a full member. Previously, it had lost to India (2022) and South Africa (2024) by 101 runs.
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See AP’s full cricket coverage here