3rd T20I: Abhishek's Record Century Takes India To 127-run Win Over Afghanistan, Clinch Series 3-0 (ld)

3rd T20I: Abhisheks record century takes India to 127-run win over Afghanistan, clinch series 3-0 (ld) (New Delhi: India vs Afghanistan 3rd T20I)

Arun Jaitley Stadium: Left-handed opener Abhishek Sharma lit up the Arun Jaitley Stadium, packed with 26,230 fans, by hitting the fastest T20I century by a player from a Test-playing nation and the quickest ton by an India men's batter, off just 30 balls, as India thrashed Afghanistan by 127 runs to seal a 3-0 series win on Thursday.

If Sunday hinted at Abhishek finding form again by hitting a swashbuckling fifty, Thursday left no doubt. The left-handed opener knocked over a stack of records on the way to his hundred, bettering the 35-ball effort of Rohit Sharma against Sri Lanka in 2017 for the fastest by an Indian, and going third on the overall list behind only Estonia's Sahil Chauhan (27 balls) and Turkey's Muhammad Fahad (29).

Though Afghanistan mounted a late fightback in the back end of the innings and kept India to 221/7, including taking four wickets in the final four overs, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ravi Bishnoi then took 3-25 and 3-26 respectively to bowl Afghanistan out for 94 in 14.1 overs. With Afghanistan losing four wickets in the power play, India were on course to clinch a clinical 3-0 series win after defeating Zimbabwe by the same margin in July.

On a pitch with no demons, Abhishek showcased supreme power and timing to hit a brilliant 108 off 34 balls, laced with nine fours and eleven sixes at a strike-rate of 317.65, with 102 of those runs coming from boundaries alone. His carnage meant India were 100/0 at the end of the power play, and despite a late stumble, the designated visitors managed to cross the 220-mark.

He found an able partner in Sanju Samson, who made a 35-ball 50, his second fifty in a row in this series, as the duo shared a 142-run opening stand. For Afghanistan, Azmatullah Omarzai picked up 2-27, while Rashid Khan, who was electrifying in effecting a run-out and taking two astounding catches, and Abdullah Ahmadzai took a scalp each.

Electing to bowl first, Afghanistan had a slip in for Abhishek when he came on strike in the first over. But once he drove Fazalhaq Farooqi through cover for four, the slip was moved out. After that, whatever Afghanistan tried, it didn't work, as Abhishek's brilliance just threw them out of gear.

Omarzai bowled short at the stumps in the second over, and Abhishek pulled it 86 metres behind square for six. With his attacking instincts unlocked, Abhishek hit Omarzai over his head for four with mid-off and mid-on up, then danced down the track to loft over cover for six, as 17 runs came off it. Farooqi's next over went for 23 runs, as Abhishek hammered him for two sixes and as many fours.

Mohammad Nabi's only over cost 29 runs. Samson first hit him for consecutive sixes, before being dropped on 22 by captain Ibrahim Zadran at mid-off. But Abhishek reached his fifty off just 16 balls with a six down the track - the sixth time he has reached a fifty inside 20 deliveries - before hitting a four through the gap between cover and point, and finished the fifth over with a six over the straight boundary.

Abhishek treated Rashid Khan with disdain – hitting him for four over extra cover, and followed by an inside-out boundary and six over wide mid-off to bring up India's century in the power play. After that, it was all going Abhishek's way – as Ahmadzai and Mujeeb were clobbered for boundaries.

The next 14 balls he faced brought him 51 runs, and his third T20I hundred came in the ninth over when Abhishek drove Ahmadzai for a single. He did not seem to realise straight away that he had broken a slew of records, and he took off his helmet and bandana and sat down in a meditation pose to celebrate the feat, with his father, Rajkumar Sharma, clapping and smiling with sheer joy at the hospitality stand.

But Rashid got him out in the tenth over with a googly bowled from behind the stumps, edged through to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, as the entire ground stood up to give Abhishek a standing ovation. Rashid then caused the run-out of Tilak Varma with a direct hit, and caught Samson at long-off, leaping with his hands above his head, off Omarzai.

Two overs later, he ran to his left at long-on and took a diving catch over his head to dismiss Shivam Dube. Ishan Kishan was run out by Gurbaz, who threw his right glove away before hitting the stumps. Ahmadzai, playing his first game of the series, kept going at the yorker and had Reddy caught at deep midwicket.

By the time skipper Shreyas Iyer was run out for 29, India had managed to cross the 220-run mark, despite scoring just 79 runs in the last 60 balls. But the night was already brightened by Abhishek's unforgettable, breathtaking blitzkrieg.

In the pursuit of 222, Gurbaz, who had not scored a run in the series so far, got off the mark by backing away and steering a short-of-length ball from Reddy behind point for four, and hit the next ball between cover and point for another boundary.

Ibrahim Zadran, on strike for the fifth ball, picked up a short one over square leg for six, as 15 runs came off the opening over. After Gurbaz and Zadran hit three more boundaries collectively, Afghanistan's slide began. Axar Patel struck with his first ball as Gurbaz backed away to sweep but missed the delivery, leaving stumps in a mess.

Three balls later, Sediqullah Atal top-edged a slog sweep, and Abhishek ran in from deep midwicket to take it. Bumrah then yorked Darwish Rasooli with a 140 kmph delivery while Yash Thakur had Zadran caught at deep square leg. With Afghanistan four down in the power play, the game's result became a foregone conclusion, and the pattern repeated yet again.

Debutant Noor ul Rahman, dropped by Varma at long-off, made 11 off 15 balls before Bishnoi had him miscuing in the deep. Reddy then returned to get his second three-wicket haul on the trot - Nabi swung across the line at a length ball that stayed low, skidded under the inside edge and knocked the stumps over.

Three balls later, Sediqullah Atal top-edged a slog sweep, and Abhishek ran in from deep midwicket to take it. Bumrah then yorked Darwish Rasooli with a 140 kmph delivery while Yash Thakur had Zadran caught at deep square leg. With Afghanistan four down in the power play, the game's result became a foregone conclusion, and the pattern repeated yet again.

Brief Scores: India 221/7 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 108, Sanju Samson 50; Azmatullah Omarzai 2-27, Abdullah Ahmadzai 1-38) beat Afghanistan 94 all out in 14.1 overs (Ibrahim Zadran 25, Azmatullah Omarzai 17; Nitish Kumar Reddy 3-25, Ravi Bishnoi 3-26) by 127 runs

Article Source: IANS