96 vs 86: Abhishek Sharma leaves Vaibhav Sooryavanshi chasing as India's six-hitting race takes a twist

NEW DELHI: The six-hitting battle between Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has taken an interesting turn in 2026. Abhishek has now moved 10 sixes ahead of Sooryavanshi, with the India opener hitting 96 sixes in all T20 cricket this year compared to the youngster's 86.Abhishek added 11 more sixes to his tally on Thursday, smashing 108 off just 34 balls against Afghanistan in the third and final T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.His breathtaking knock included a 30-ball century, the fastest T20I hundred by an Indian batter. It was also the fastest century by a batter from a Full Member nation against another Full Member nation.Abhishek leads Sooryavanshi in six-hittingAbhishek's 96 sixes in 2026 are the second-most by an Indian batter in a calendar year in all T20s.His own record stands at 108 sixes, which he hit in 2025. He also hit 87 sixes in 2024.Sooryavanshi's 86 sixes in 2026 are currently fourth on the list.India batters with most sixes in a calendar year in all T20sSixesBatterYearBalls per six108Abhishek Sharma20257.3596Abhishek Sharma20266.6487Abhishek Sharma20246.5486Vaibhav Sooryavanshi20264.9985Suryakumar Yadav202210.05While Abhishek has hit more sixes overall in 2026, Sooryavanshi has cleared the boundary more frequently, hitting one six every 4.99 balls compared to Abhishek's 6.64.Abhishek's 11 sixes against AfghanistanAbhishek produced another power-hitting masterclass against Afghanistan.He smashed 108 off just 34 balls, hitting 11 sixes and nine fours. It was his third century in T20Is.Most of his sixes went straight over the bowler's head. He attacked both pace and spin and kept finding the boundary throughout his innings.With India batting first for the first time in the series, Abhishek made full use of the opportunity.He brought up his fifty off just 16 balls before completing his century off 30 balls.Fastest T20I century by a Full Member batterAbhishek's 30-ball century was the fastest T20I hundred by a batter from a Full Member nation.He went past the previous mark of 33 balls, jointly held by Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza and New Zealand's Finn Allen.It was also the fastest century by a batter from a Full Member nation against another Full Member nation.Fastest T20I hundreds by batters from Full Member teamsBallsBatterMatchVenueYear30Abhishek Sharma (India)India vs AfghanistanDelhi202633Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe)Zimbabwe vs GambiaNairobi (Ruaraka)202433Finn Allen (New Zealand)New Zealand vs South AfricaKolkata202635David Miller (South Africa)South Africa vs BangladeshPotchefstroom201735Rohit Sharma (India)India vs Sri LankaIndore2017Abhishek also broke former India captain Rohit Sharma's record for the fastest T20I century by an Indian. Rohit had scored his century off 35 balls against Sri Lanka in Indore in 2017.Abhishek among India's biggest six-hittersAbhishek's 11 sixes against Afghanistan also put him second on the list of most sixes by an Indian batter in a T20I innings.He is behind only his own record of 13 sixes, which he hit against England in Mumbai in 2025.Most sixes by an Indian batter in a T20I inningsSixesBatterOpponentVenueYear13Abhishek SharmaEnglandMumbai WS202511Abhishek SharmaAfghanistanDelhi202610Rohit SharmaSri LankaIndore201710Sanju SamsonSouth AfricaDurban202410Tilak VarmaSouth AfricaJohannesburg202410Ishan KishanNew ZealandThiruvananthapuram2026India race to 100 in powerplayAbhishek's six-hitting helped India race to 100 for no loss in the first six overs.It was India's highest score in the powerplay in T20Is.Sanju Samson also played his part, scoring a fluent 50 off 35 balls for his second successive fifty-plus score.With both India openers in good form, Sooryavanshi has not got an opportunity in the playing XI in the series.Abhishek's special celebrationAbhishek completed his century in the ninth over.He reached 99 with a powerful pull off Abdullah Ahmadzai before taking a single to bring up his hundred.He then removed his helmet, sat on the ground and celebrated with a meditation pose as the Delhi crowd applauded the special innings.India eventually finished on 221 for seven. Afghanistan restricted India to 37 runs in the final five overs and picked up four wickets during that period.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.