T20 cricket is batter-friendly and a nightmare for bowlers. This format gives the batters the freedom to fire all guns right from the start without any restrictions. While batters generally strike at a rate of less than 100 in Tests and ODIs, they score at a pace of more than 200, 300 and even 350 in T20 cricket. And if the surface is also unfavorable for bowlers, it will be a batter paradise.
West Indies power hitter and T20 legend Chris Gayle is the first batter to score a century in international T20 cricket. Gayle breached the triple-digit mark in 50 balls against South Africa in 2007, after which batters shifted their target from half-centuries to centuries in the shortest format. However, the prevalence of T20 cricket leagues has made the batters more aggressive and scored centuries with fewer balls.
On that note, let’s take a look at the three fastest centuries in T20I cricket:
3. Rohit Sharma vs Sri Lanka in 2017 (35 balls)
Rohit Sharma smashed the joint-fastest T20I century to help India thrash Sri Lanka by 88 runs in Indore in December 2017. After being put into bat first, India posted a massive total of 260 on the back of openers Rohit and KL Rahul’s 165-run partnership. Rohit’s merciless hitting resulted in him completing his century in just 35 balls. The skipper was eventually removed by Dushmantha Chameera on 118 off 43 balls (12 fours and 10 sixes).
2. David Miller vs Bangladesh in 2017 (35 balls)
Before the current Indian captain achieved the milestone, the record was set by South African power-hitter David Miller two months back. In the second T20I of the Bangladesh tour of South Africa, Miller scored a 35-ball century to guide the team to a massive 224/4 in 20 overs. One of the greatest knocks in T20 history included seven fours and nine sixes. In reply, Bangladesh were bowled out for 141 runs and the Proteas registered a massive 83-run victory.
1. Kushal Malla vs Mongolia in 2023 (34 balls)
It took six years for someone to surpass Miller and Rohit in this elite list. Nepal’s Kushal Malla scripted history with a blistering 34-ball century against Mongolia at the 2023 Men’s Asian Games. His 50-ball 137 included 12 sixes and eight fours. However, this wasn’t the only record that was set during this match. Nepal all-rounder Dipendra Singh Airee broke India legend Yuvraj Singh’s record for the fastest half-century by reaching the mark in just 9 balls. On the back of these scintillating knocks, Nepal posted a magnificent score of 314/3 – the first team to score more than 300 runs in an ODI innings. In reply, Mongolia were bowled out for just 41 runs and Nepal registered a massive win of 273 runs – the largest margin of victory in terms of runs in ODIs.