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Abhishek Sharma's 30-Ball Century Seals India's 3-0 Sweep

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Abhishek Sharma smashed a 30-ball hundred as India beat Afghanistan by 127 runs in Delhi to complete a 3-0 T20I series sweep.

Abhishek Sharma smashed a hundred off just 30 balls at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday evening, driving India to a 127-run win over Afghanistan and a 3-0 sweep of the three-match T20I series. His innings turned a dead rubber into a one-sided rout.

Abhishek made 108 off 34 balls before departing in the 10th over with India on 142 for 1. He hit 11 sixes and nine fours, peppering the second tier of the stands with the white Kookaburra for most of the first 10 overs. After reaching his century, he sat down in the middle of the pitch and meditated, monk-like, to mark the milestone.

His assault set up an imposing total of 221 for 7. Opening partner Sanju Samson reached 50 off 35 balls, a knock that looked laboured alongside Abhishek's blitz. Afghanistan, chasing 222, were bowled out for 94 and never threatened the target.

The result closed out Afghanistan's first 'home' series against India with a 3-0 scoreline. The Afghan side had absorbed heavy defeats in the first two matches of the week and looked drained in the field, with several bowlers going through the motions. Abhishek used the closing overs of his stay to test the catching of spectators in the stands.

The series capped a strong return to form for the opener. Abhishek finished with 209 runs off 85 balls across the three games. His international output had dipped since the T20I World Cup in March, with runs harder to come by, and the Delhi innings echoed his heavy scoring in the lead-up to that tournament.

The performance also reasserted his claim as India's first-choice T20I opener at a time when attention is building around 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

Reddy delivers with the ball

Nitish Kumar Reddy gave the team management a further boost with figures of 3 for 25 in four overs. Captain Shreyas Iyer handed him the new ball, a role Hardik Pandya has typically filled in India's T20 side. Reddy's opening spell lacked bite, but he returned later with a clear plan, varying his pace and length to pick up wickets.

With the bat, Reddy managed only one run off four balls in his sole outing of the series. The management has been grooming him as a seam-bowling all-rounder to provide cover for the injury-prone Pandya, and pulled him out of the Asian Games squad to keep him available.

His bowling on Thursday offers encouragement as India turn their focus to the ODI World Cup build-up, beginning with an ODI series against West Indies later this month.

Abhishek Sharma century, India vs Afghanistan T20I, Arun Jaitley Stadium, T20I series sweep, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, 30-ball hundred

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