Rohit Sharma slammed a 35-ball 100 against Sri Lanka in 2017 [X.com]
The advent of T20I cricket brought a new life into the sport, which needed something exciting to attract fans back into stadiums and captivate audiences sitting in homes.
However, the demands of T20Is also differed from the traditional Test and One-Day Internationals (ODIs), where the batter needed to force runs and innovate shots, which changed how cricket was perceived.
The inception of the Indian Premier League (IPL) enables domestic cricketers to express and showcase their skills on the biggest stage, which over the years has been a nursery to India's ever-growing rich batting talent pool.
In this piece, we peek into the top 5 fastest T20I centuries by Indian batters, which highlights how the batsmanship has evolved from the times of Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, and even Virat Kohli.
Fastest T20I Centuries By Indian Batters
| Player | Balls | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma | 35 | Sri Lanka |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 45 | Sri Lanka |
| KL Rahul | 46 | West Indies |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 48 | England |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 48 | Nepal |
Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma has struck joint-most T20I hundred (4) [X.com]
The holder of the joint second-fastest T20I century, Rohit Sharma, tops the Indian charts as well, having slammed a ton in merely 35 balls. Having already registered a T20I ton, Sharma waited almost two years, to slam his second hundred in the format, which came against Sri Lanka at Indore in 2017.
Batting first, Sharma cut the loss of Lanka's bowling attack, which found it difficult to contain the explosive batter, who left no part of the ground safe as the ball traveled across the boundary ropes.
The current Indian captain reached his 100 in just 35 balls, which included 11 fours and eight sixes, only to fall on 118 off 43, adding one four and two sixes more into his tally of boundaries.
Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav [Twitter]
New-age T20I maestro, Suryakumar Yadav makes the entry at No.2 spot for India, having struck a hundred in 45 balls. Yadav, now at the peak of his 20-overs prowess, came up against a hapless Sri Lankan attack, which rarely presented any challenge to the Indian maverick in the final T20I at Rajkot earlier this year.
With the series locked at 1-1, Yadav launched an attack on the opponents on a docile track, where hitting came primary nature for batters. The Mumbai Indians superstar first scored a fifty in 26 balls and then in a span of another 19 deliveries reached the landmark T20 hundred in 45 balls.
Yadav looked a class apart from others and scored runs in every direction possible, including over the wicketkeeper's head during his knock of 112* laced with seven fours and nine sixes.
KL Rahul
KL Rahul held the record for India's fastest T20I hundred for 482 days [X.com]
Relative new in the T20Is, KL Rahul made a swift transition from the classical format into the more outgoing one. Already impressed in IPL, Rahul came out to bat for India against West Indies in Lauderhill in 2016, with his side in trouble chasing 246.
With Rohit Sharma going all guns blazing, Rahul proceeded with caution and mostly played risk-free shots, that yielded good results. However, after Sharma's fall, Rahul displayed a more flamboyant and flawless hitting having already seen a century in the first innings.
The Mangalore-born batter paced his knock to near-perfection, reaching his maiden T20I century in 46 balls, which remained India's fastest until Sharma's 35-ball 100. Rahul remained unbeaten on 110 off 51 deliveries which included 12 fours and five sixes, as India lost the encounter by one run.
Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav's maiden T20I hundred came in losing cause [X.com]
With a reputation of being a T20 specialist, Suryakumar Yadav showcased his calibre at the start of his India career itself. Yadav defied England bowlers and imprinted his brand of cricket in the third T20I at Nottingham in 2022, where all other Indian batters failed miserably.
Chasing 2016, India were three down, when Yadav took centre stage and spellbound cricket lovers with his fearless, and creative play. The Mumbai Indians batter singlehandedly kept India in the hunt, scoring a gritty 50 off 32 balls, before going into top gear.
With wickets tumbling around, Yadav charged England bowlers all over the park and wowed audiences with his 360-degree shot-making abilities, which has become his trademark style now. Yadav reached his maiden T20I century in 48 balls, which is the fourth fastest for an Indian in the format.
The middle-order batter scored 117 off 55 deliveries with 14 fours and six sixes as India narrowly missed winning the encounter by 17 runs.
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Yashasvi Jaiswal is the youngest Indian to score T20I century [X.com]
A feature of India's modern-age batters is courageous and impactful play, which sets them apart from other generations, which Yashasvi Jaiswal imbibes completely. Selected in India's Asian Games 2023 T20 squad, Jaiswal exhibited his bold play in the match against Nepal in Hangzhou.
On a tricky surface, Jaiswal steamrolled Nepal bowlers and hammered them all over the ground, which seemed quite small compared to others, making even missed hits go for boundaries.
After notching his fifty in 22 balls, Jaiswal looked set to register his hundred in the mid-40s, but regular wickets broke the batter's momentum, as the opener finally reached his landmark maiden T20I century in 48 balls, with eight fours and seven sixes.
 "Vishal Mehra")
