• Punjab opener Abhishek Sharma delivered an electrifying performance against Meghalaya in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024.

  • This blistering innings saw him equal the record for the fastest T20 hundred by an Indian.

Twitter reactions: Abhishek Sharma equals fastest T20 century by an Indian, also shatters Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav’s record
Abhishek Sharma (Image Source: X)

Punjab opener Abhishek Sharma delivered an electrifying performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024, smashing a 28-ball century against Meghalaya in the final group-stage match on Thursday. This blistering innings saw him equal the record for the fastest T20 hundred by an Indian, a mark recently set by Gujarat’s Urvil Patel in the same tournament.

Breaking the shackles of form: Abhishek Sharma

Abhishek’s fiery knock was nothing short of sensational, propelling Punjab to chase down the target of 143 runs in a mere 9.3 overs with seven wickets to spare. The left-handed batter’s innings featured a jaw-dropping 11 sixes, cementing his position as one of the most destructive hitters in the competition. Before this remarkable display, Abhishek had endured a middling campaign, scoring just 149 runs across six innings with only one fifty to his name. However, Thursday’s innings marked a turnaround, as the young batter unleashed his full potential to script history.

Rewriting domestic cricket history: Joint fastest T20 hundred

Abhishek’s ton was his fourth in the SMAT, making him the leading century-scorer in the history of India’s premier domestic T20 tournament, eclipsing Shreyas Iyer‘s record of three tons. His 28-ball milestone now shares the second spot on the all-time global list, just behind Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan, who hammered a 27-ball century earlier this year. Gujarat opener Urvil had set the benchmark for Indian cricket last week, scoring a 28-ball ton against Tripura. Before 2023, the record for the fastest century in the tournament was held by Rishabh Pant, who smashed a 32-ball hundred against H⛎imachal Pradesh in 2018.

Also READ: Baroda scripts history with record-breaking T20 total in Syed Mushtaq Ali Tro♓phy 2024

Surpassing Suryakumar Yadav’s massive record

Abhishek’s blitzkrieg didn’t just end with a century. By smashing 11 sixes in this knock, he shattered Suryakumar Yadav’s record for the most sixes by an Indian in a calendar year. Suryakumar had hit 85 sixes in 41 innings in 2022, but Abhishek surpassed him with 86 sixes in just 38 innings this year. Suryakumar has also on third position with 71 sixes in 33 games in the year 2022. This exceptional innings not only lifted Punওjab to a dominant victory but also firmly established Abhishek as one of the brightest stars in Indian cricket.

Here’s how Twitter reacted:

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