Abhishek surpasses Kohli in elite list with 35-ball century as India shatter records in 3rd T20I vs NZ
New Delhi: Abhishek Sharma smashed a 35-ball century as India defeated New Zealand by 6 wickets in the third T20I at Hagley Oval in Wellington on Tuesday, October 27. Chasing a 199-run target, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhishek went berserk, stitching together a 133-run opening partnership in just 43 balls. Matthew Fisher dismissed Sooryavanshi for 45 (19) in the eighth over, but Abhishek completed his fourth T20I hundred.
Abhishek broke Virat Kohli’s record for the most centuries in men’s T20 cricket. The opener has now scored 11 centuries, surpassing Kohli’s tally record of 10. He also equalled former India captain Suryakumar Yadav’s record for the most centuries in men’s T20Is, with four tons.
Most hundreds in Men’s T20 cricket
22 – Chris Gayle
13 – Babar Azam
11 – Abhishek Sharma
10 – Quinton de Kock
10 – Virat Kohli
10 – David Warner
Most hundreds in Men’s T20Is
5 – Glenn Maxwell
5 – Rohit Sharma
4 – Karanbir Singh
4 – Phil Salt
4 – Suryakumar Yadav
4 – Abhishek Sharma
The Men in Blue pulled off one of the most dominant chases in T20I history, reaching the target of 199 against New Zealand with 40 balls remaining.
Most balls remaining in a successful chase of 190 or more
42 – Estonia vs Cyprus, Episkopi, 2024 (T: 192)
40 – India vs New Zealand, Wellington, 2026 (T: 199)
37 – Netherlands vs Ireland, Sylhet, T20 WC 2014 (T: 190)
35 – Serbia vs Slovenia, Belgrade, 2025 (T: 200)
34 – Bulgaria vs Gibraltar, Sofia, 2025b (T: 244)
Sooryavanshi and Abhishek took on New Zealand from the first over, smashing Jacob Duffy for 26 runs. India became the fastest team to reach the 100-run mark in T20Is (5 overs) and also recorded the highest total in the first six overs.
100-plus totals Overs 1-6 in Men’s T20Is
118/0 – India vs New Zealand, Wellington, 2026
116/0 – Romania vs Serbia, Sofia, 2021 (5.4 overs)
113/1 – Australia vs Scotland, Edinburgh, 2024
103/1 – Zimbabwe vs Gambia, Nairobi (RSC), 2024
102/0 – South Africa vs West Indies, Centurion, 2023
100/0 – England vs South Africa, Old Trafford, 2025
100/0 – India vs Afghanistan, Delhi, 2026
more to follow…