11 sixes, strike-rate 360 plus: Abhishek Sharma lights up Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with fastest century in T20s by Indian

Abhishek Sharma slams 28-ball century for Punjab in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. (Photo: X)

India's young batting sensational Abhishek Sharma ran havoc against Meghalaya as he equalled the record for fastest century by an Indian in T20 cricket history. Chasing a target of 143, the Punjab captain smashed a century in just 28 deliveries. His blistering knock of 106 runs included 11 sixes and 8 fours with a strike-rate of 365.52.

This knock serves as a comeback to his critics as the 24-year-old batter was having a quiet tournament prior to this innings. He only had 149 runs in six innings before this thunderous innings.

Earlier, Gujarat batter Urvil Patel set the record in the same tournament smashing a 28-ball ton against Tripura in Indore.

Before Urvil and Abhishek, Rishabh Pant held the record for the fastest century by an Indian with a 32-ball hundred against Himachal Pradesh back in 2018.

Coming back to Abhishek, he will continue to play for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) after getting retained for Rs 14 crore courtesy his aggressive batting style on top of the order with some efficient spin bowling as well.

His performance in the IPL 2024 season also earned him a maiden India call-up. In total, Abhishek scored 484 runs in the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League with a mind-boggling strike-rate of 204.21. He also scored the fastest fifty by a SRH batter in just 16 balls against the Mumbai Indians.

Estonia's Sahil Chauhan holds the record for the fastest T20 century, reaching the milestone in just 27 balls against Cyprus earlier this year.

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In Indore, Baroda made history by smashing 37 sixes in their innings, setting a record for the most sixes in a T20 match by an Indian team. Their monumental total also became the first 300-plus T20 score by an Indian side.

Bhanu Pania, batting at number three, was the standout performer with a blistering unbeaten 134 off 51 balls, featuring five fours and 11 sixes.

Baroda secured a dominant 263-run victory, with Sikkim managing only 86 for seven in their chase.