Abhishek Sharma Rewrites Record Books in Wellington T20 Thrashing
Abhishek Sharma scored a blistering 113 off 38 balls as India defeated New Zealand in the third T20 at Henry Stadium on Tuesday. The innings featured 11 sixes and nine boundaries, and it added yet another chapter to his growing list of records.
Together with Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Abhishek added 133 runs in 7.1 overs. The partnership gave India a commanding platform and put the home side under immediate pressure.
The knock was the 11th T20 international century of Abhishek's career. Chris Gayle remains the leader with 22, while Babar Azam is second with 13. Quinton de Kock, Virat Kohli and David Warner are level on 10 hundreds each.
Abhishek now shares second place in the men's T20 international century list, alongside Karanbir Singh, Phil Salt, Suryakumar Yadav and himself, each with four. Glenn Maxwell and Rohit Sharma head the list with five apiece.
His speed in reaching three figures is also among the best ever. Abhishek had already topped the list of fastest full-member hundreds, with 30 balls against Afghanistan in 2026. The 35-ball century in Wellington earns him a joint third place, matching David Miller's effort against Bangladesh in 2017 and Rohit Sharma's against Sri Lanka in 2017. Sikandar Raza's 33-ball hundred against Gambia in 2024 is second on the list.
He began his innings with a six off the first ball he faced. That feat has become his trademark, and he now leads the all-time list with eight such strikes. Shafiqullah Shinwari of Afghanistan has six, and Suryakumar Yadav has five.
Abhishek reached his fifty in 15 balls, a little slower than his 14-ball half-century against New Zealand in Guwahati. The fastest fifty in a T20 between two full-member nations still belongs to Yuvraj Singh, who needed 12 balls against England in 2007.
The 11 sixes in this innings were the second-highest total of his career, after the 13 he struck against England in 2025, and matched his 11 against Afghanistan in 2026. Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma and Ishan Kishan each have a best of 10 sixes in a T20 innings for India.
In the list of players with the most T20 innings of 10 or more sixes, Abhishek is second with seven such innings. Karanbir Singh of Austria leads the category among active rivals with five, while Chris Gayle is at the top with 18. Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Karanbir Singh are joint third with five each.
The six-wicket victory in the third match gave India an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.