IND vs NZ 3rd T20I: Abhishek Sharma equals Rohit Sharma's record of 35-ball 100

Indian opener Abhishek Sharma scored a sensational 35-ball 100 against New Zealand in the ongoing 3rd T20I in Wellington, equalling Rohit Sharma’s tally and becoming the joint-second fastest in this format for the Men in Blue. Months ago, against Afghanistan in New Delhi, he broke the record for the fastest T20I hundred by a player from a Test-playing nation by scoring a 30-ball 100. The left-hander clobbered 11 sixes and nine fours. Alongside his new opening partner, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek scored 133 for the first wicket, breaking several records.

Abhishek's T20I Hundreds -

• 100 off 47 balls vs Zimbabwe, 2024
• 135 off 54 balls vs England, 2025
• 108 off 34 balls vs Afghanistan, 2026
• 113 off 38 balls vs New Zealand, 2026

His 4th T20I hundred propelled India to a famous six-wicket win in Wellington and took home the five-match series 3-0. The left-hander wasn’t able to click in the first two T20Is but came off incredibly well in the concluded 3rd T20I, hitting 11 massive sixes and nine fours in his marathon outing.

However, he broke several T20 batting records during this knock. While adding 118 runs with Sooryavanshi inside the Powerplay broke the record for the most runs scored in the first six overs by a Test-playing nation, Abhishek went past Virat Kohli’s record of 10 T20 hundreds.

Records Galore in Wellington T20I

With a blistering 35-ball 100 against New Zealand and the first in the country, Abhishek now holds three of the four fastest T20I centuries scored by an Indian (30 balls vs AFG, 35 balls vs NZ and 37 balls vs ENG).

While Abhishek's quickest T20I ton -- also the fastest among all Test-playing nations -- came just a couple of months ago against Afghanistan in New Delhi, the opener also scored a 37-ball T20I ton against England in Mumbai in 2025.

“I think the key was pretty simple. It was just me and Vaibhav, just going to enjoy there for a bit, especially in the powerplay. And especially when we were fielding, we were observing the pitch a bit because of this extra bounce.

“But I feel the dimensions of the ground, we could use the powerplay, and we could use their pace as well. So that was the easy plan. And then, obviously, the way he started the first over, Vaibhav, I think that was really special. And that was the plan for us: get the momentum for the team and then just keep going,” Abhishek reflected on his record-breaking hundred in Wellington.