India completed a dominant 3-0 T20I series sweep against Afghanistan in New Delhi on Thursday, September 17, anchored by an explosive performance from Abhishek Sharma. The opener dismantled the Afghan bowling attack, racing to a 30-ball century—the fastest by a men’s player from a Full Member nation in T20I history. This remarkable feat surpassed Rohit Sharma’s previous Indian record of a 35-ball century set in 2017.
Abhishek’s dominance began early, most notably when he hammered 23 runs off a single Fazalhaq Farooqi over. The left-hander reached his half-century in just 16 balls, marking the fourth-fastest fifty by an Indian in the format. By the end of the powerplay, India had reached 100 runs, with Abhishek contributing 76 of them. He eventually reached his three-figure milestone in just 8.3 overs, the earliest a batter has achieved the mark in a T20I, before celebrating with a meditative pose on the field.
India finished their innings at 221/7 after 20 overs. Following Abhishek’s departure, Sanju Samson provided stability with a half-century, while Shreyas Iyer and Shivam Dube contributed late runs against Rashid Khan to maintain the scoring momentum. Despite a flurry of wickets in the death overs, the total proved insurmountable for the visitors. Azmatullah Omarzai was the pick of the Afghanistan bowlers, finishing with figures of 2-27.
Afghanistan’s response started with optimism as Ibrahim Zadran struck a six in the opening over. The visitors reached 31/0 after three overs, but the momentum shifted abruptly when Axar Patel entered the attack. Patel dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz with a sharp arm ball, triggering a collapse. Shortly after, Jasprit Bumrah bowled Darwish Rasooli, and Sediqullah Atal fell to a catch at deep midwicket, leaving the Afghan chase in tatters.
The middle order offered little resistance against the Indian spin and pace attack. Yash Thakur claimed the wicket of Ibrahim Zadran, who top-scored for his team with 25, while Ravi Bishnoi curtailed a potential partnership between Noor ul Rahman and Azmatullah Omarzai. Nitish Kumar Reddy delivered a clinical spell, scything through the middle order to finish with 3-25. Bishnoi also recorded 3-26, helping bundle Afghanistan out for just 94 in 14.1 overs.
This 127-run victory stands as the highest margin of defeat for Afghanistan in T20I cricket. For India, it marked the tenth time they have secured a win by a margin of 100 runs or more in the format. The crushing defeat solidified India’s absolute control over the three-match series, leaving the visitors unable to handle the intensity of the home side’s batting or the variety of their bowling attack. The report also notes that but Abhishek was the real headline-grabber. The report also notes that the signs came early and emphatically. The report also notes that before repeatedly dismissing anything on his pads or offered short on his body, he began with a lofted drive over covers. The report also notes that including a delectable hold-the-pose hit over the bowler’s head, fazalhaq Farooqi was the first real victim: Abhishek looted 23 runs off his second over. The report also notes that desperate to stop the leak, Ibrahim Zadran gave an early try to spin. The report also notes that sanju Samson, spectating until that point, got going with back-to-back sixes off Mohammad Nabi before passing over to Abhishek. The report also notes that not bowling again, nabi was left with a 29-run over. The report also notes that as the aggression was relentless, there was little time for course-correction.
