Rahmanullah Gurbaz Creates History with Blistering 48-Ball Century Against India
Rahmanullah Gurbaz Creates History with Blistering 48-Ball Century Against India
Rahmanullah Gurbaz produced a masterclass in aggressive batting, rewriting the record books with a breathtaking 48-ball century against India in the rain-shortened first ODI at Dharamsala. The stunning innings not only marked the fastest-ever hundred by an Afghanistan batter in ODI cricket but also became the quickest century ever recorded in an India-Afghanistan encounter.
The right-hander displayed sheer power and aggression from the outset, taking the attack to the Indian bowlers in the reduced 25-over contest. Gurbaz eventually departed for a sensational 102 runs off just 51 balls, a knock that featured eight boundaries and eight maximums before Nitish Kumar Reddy finally ended his remarkable stay at the crease.
Record-Breaking Pace
The century was not only the fastest in Gurbaz's ODI career but also his ninth overall in the format. Prior to this explosive knock, Gurbaz had already announced his intentions earlier in the innings when he raced to a half-century in just 25 balls. That effort now stands as the second-fastest ODI fifty by an Afghanistan batter, narrowly missing Mohammad Nabi's record of 24 balls against Sri Lanka in Lahore in 2023.
The top three fastest fifties for Afghanistan in ODIs now read:
- 24 balls - Mohammad Nabi vs Sri Lanka, Lahore, 2023
- 25 balls - Rahmanullah Gurbaz vs India, Dharamsala, 2026
- 26 balls - Mujeeb Ur Rahman vs Pakistan, Colombo, 2023
Historic Partnership
Gurbaz's fireworks also helped Afghanistan register only their second-ever century partnership against India in ODI cricket. The previous three-figure stand came during the 2023 ODI World Cup in Delhi, when Azmatullah Omarzai and Hashmatullah Shahidi added 121 runs for the wicket.
"It was a remarkable innings from Gurbaz. He took the game away from us in those powerplay overs. The way he paced his innings in a reduced overs game was exceptional," said an Indian team official following the match.
Elite Company
With this century, Gurbaz has also climbed into elite company in ODI cricket. He now boasts the best conversion rate from 50s to 100s in ODIs among players with minimum seven centuries, sitting at an impressive 56.25% (9 hundreds from 16 fifty-plus scores).
The top five in this prestigious list:
- 56.25% - Rahmanullah Gurbaz (9 hundreds)
- 43.48% - Calum MacLeod (10 hundreds)
- 42.86% - Daryl Mitchell (9 hundreds)
- 41.82% - Quinton de Kock (23 hundreds)
- 41.22% - Virat Kohli (54 hundreds)
Match Context
The match had already seen India hand ODI debuts to left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Harsh Dubey and fast bowler Gurnoor Brar before rain reduced the contest to 25 overs per side. Despite the shortened format, Gurbaz made full use of the conditions, producing one of the most destructive innings by an Afghanistan batter against India in limited-overs cricket.
The victory marked a significant milestone for Afghanistan in their cricketing journey, with Gurbaz's innings serving as a testament to the team's growing stature in international cricket.