Abhishek Sharma smashed 113 off 38 balls as India beat New Zealand by six wickets in Wellington. He broke six T20I records, passing Kohli for most T20 centuries by an Indian batter and helping India set the fastest team 100 with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Abhishek Sharma's Record-Breaking Outing in Wellington
Team India opener Abhishek Sharma unleashed absolute carnage in the Men in Blue’s six-wicket win over New Zealand in the third T20I of the five-match series at Hnry Stadium in Wellington on Tuesday, October 27.
Chasing a 199-run target, Abhishek played a blazing knock of 113 off 38 balls and formed a record-breaking opening 133-run partnership with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who scored 45 off 19 balls, to lay the foundation for India's comfortable chase, wrapping up a stellar 3-0 series victory with games to spare.
On that note, let’s take a look at six records shattered by Abhishek Sharma during his sensational 38-ball century in New Zealand’s capital.
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1. Most T20 Centuries by an Indian Batter
Abhishek Sharma has claimed the distinction of being the Indian batter with the most centuries in the history of T20 cricket. Sharma broke the tie with former India and RCB captain and star batter Virat Kohli, who previously held the top spot with 10 centuries across all T20 competitions.
With his 11th three-figure mark in Wellington, the explosive left-handed opener now stands alone as India’s premier century-maker in twenty-over cricket, trailing only Chris Gayle (22) and Babar Azam (13) on the overall global leaderboard.
Additionally, Abhishek Sharma has equalled his former Indian teammate Suryakumar Yadav and England batter Phil Salt’s tally of four T20I centuries to become the joint-second-most century-scorer in Men's T20Is, trailing behind Rohit Sharma and Glenn Maxwell, who registered five each.
2. Highest Strike Rate in 100+ Knock by Indian Batter in T20Is
Abhishek Sharma has become India’s most explosive century-maker in the Men’s T20Is, recording the highest strike rate in a 100+ score by an Indian batter in T20I history.
Batting at an exceptional strike rate of 297.37 while playing a blazing knock of 113 off 38 balls, Abhishek has shattered Rohit Sharma’s record of 274.41 during his 43-ball 118 against Sri Lanka in 2017, setting a benchmark for the highest strike rate by an Indian batter for 100 or more runs.
Moreover, Abhishek Sharma is the first Indian batter to score 100 or more runs at a strike rate of over 250 in a T20I innings, doing it previously against England in Mumbai, where he played a knock of 135 off 54 at a strike rate of 250.
3. Most Innings with 10+ Sixes by a Full Member Batter in T20Is
Abhishek Sharma has further etched his name in the history books by registering yet another masterclass of boundary-clearing carnage.
With 11 massive sixes in his 38-ball 113, the explosive opener recorded his third career T20I innings with 10 or more sixes, having previously registered 13 sixes against England in Mumbai in February 2025 and 11 sixes against Afghanistan in Delhi in September 2026.
With this, Abhishek Sharma broke the tie with Aaron Finch and Chris Gayle, who smashed 10 or more sixes in two T20I innings each, to become the first batter to achieve the feat three times in the Men’s T20Is.
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4. Fastest T20I Century on New Zealand Soil
The explosive opener brought up his three-figure score in just 35 balls, smashing the record for the fastest T20I century ever recorded on New Zealand soil.
No player has smashed a century in fewer than 40 balls in a single T20I innings in New Zealand, with Glenn Phillips previously holding the benchmark for the fastest T20I hundred in New Zealand, reaching the three-figure mark in 46 balls against the West Indies in Mount Maunganui in 2020.
Abhishek Sharma’s 35-ball blitz in Wellington effortlessly eclipsed that mark, making it the most destructive individual T20I century ever witnessed on Kiwi soil.
The Henry Stadium in Wellington witnessed absolute carnage by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma, as the pair tore through New Zealand's bowling attack to record the fastest team 100 in Men's T20Is history.
Alongside Vaibhav, Abhishek smashed the previous overall record of 5.2 overs by Romania against Serbia, as well as the Full Member record of 5.3 overs held by South Africa and Australia. The Men in Blue hit the three-figure mark in exactly 5.0 overs (30 legal deliveries), making it the fastest century by any team in Men's T20Is.
In a 133-run partnership with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma contributed 80 off 25 balls, meaning he scored nearly 61% of the total runs scored in the partnership, dominating the record-breaking stand.
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6. Most Times to Score 100 or More Runs Via Boundaries in a T20I Innings
Abhishek Sharma’s 113-run knock was laced with 11 sixes and 9 fours, meaning the explosive opener scored 102 runs strictly via boundaries, highlighting his unmatched ability to clear the ropes at will.
This marks the third time Abhishek has scored 100 or more runs strictly via boundaries in a T20I innings, having previously achieved the feat against England in Mumbai (102 runs in boundaries) and Afghanistan in Delhi (108 runs in boundaries), surpassing Aaron Finch, Karanbir Singh, and Kushal Bhurtel’s joint record of two such innings to stand alone at the summit of T20Is.
In his T20I career, Abhishek has scored 1770 runs out of 2240 runs through 213 fours and 153 sixes, meaning the southpaw has aggregated 79% of his total international runs exclusively through boundaries: 918 runs from sixes and 852 from fours, underscoring a staggering boundary-hitting dominance rarely seen in international cricket.
