Scoring your first international century is a massive achievement for any cricketer. And, if you look at all three formats, scoring a century in T20Is is a different landmark. In an innings of 120 balls, to score a hundred is as big as taking a 10-fer by a bowler in a Test match.
The T20 cricket has aged well and it is fair to say that scoring at a fast pace has become easy due to flat tracks. However, back in the day, there weren’t a lot of batters who could reach the triple-figure mark.
There aren’t many Indian batsmen who have reached the landmark in the shortest format. In this article, let’s talk about the five fastest Indian batsmen to score their first T20I century:
5. Deepak Hooda:
Deepak Hooda smashed his maiden T20I hundred most emphatically against Ireland in 2022. After Ishan Kishan got out cheaply, he joined hands with Samson and wreaked havoc with the bat.
Hooda turned up the heat by scoring boundaries all around the ground. He brought up his century in just 56 balls, becoming only the fourth Indian to reach the landmark. He hit nine fours and six sixes during his innings.
Deepak Hooda is currently at the number four position in the list of fastest Indian batsmen to score their first T20I century.
4. Virat Kohli – 53 balls
Virat Kohli ended his century drought in his international career with his maiden T20I hundred against Afghanistan in September 2022. Prior to that, he didn’t score a single century across formats since November 2019.
As fate would have it, he ended the drought with a century in the shortest format. Interestingly, it was his first-ever ton in T20Is and came off just 53 deliveries. He reached the landmark in the Asia Cup Super-4 match in Dubai.
3. Suryakumar Yadav
There is no denying the fact that Suryakumar Yadav is currently the best T20I batsman in the world. Since making his T20I debut, Suryakumar has played some magnificent knocks for the team.
His maiden T20I century came against England in the third T20I of the three-match series in 2022. In pursuit of a 216-run target, India had lost three wickets for just 31 runs.
Suryakumar Yadav, however, was in no mood to succumb under pressure and, instead, counter-attacked. He put on a show with the ball and went on to score a century off just 48 deliveries. He played a sensational knock of 117 runs off just 55 balls but India couldn’t win that game.
2. KL Rahul – 46 balls
KL Rahul’s maiden T20 international century came in a last-ball thriller against West Indies. Grieving in pain, the Indian notched a century off just 46 balls while chasing a gigantic 246-run target in 2016.
He kept India’s hopes alive with a magnificent knock of 110 runs in 51 balls, including 12 fours and five sixes. India could have won that game but with 2 needed off the final ball, MS Dhoni was caught while trying to squeeze a brace. Currently, KL Rahul sits at second in the list of fastest Indian batsmen to score their first T20I century.
- Abhishek Sharma – 46 balls
India’s rising star, Abhishek Sharma made his T20I debut in the ongoing T20I series against Zimbabwe. He got out for aught in the first game but followed it up with a sensational ton.
The southpaw was dropped early in his innings and he made the opposition pay for that. Abhishek Sharma displayed his ability to clear the ropes with ease and went on to smash his maiden T20I hundred off just 46 balls. With that, he is now the joint fastest Indian batter along with KL Rahul to score their first T20I century.
