India, Sept. 18 -- Abhishek Sharma's 108 off 34 balls against Afghanistan in New Delhi was remarkable even by the standards he has begun to set for himself. He reached his hundred in 30 deliveries, struck nine fours and 11 sixes, and finished with a strike rate of 317.64. It was the fastest T20I hundred by a batter from a Full Member nation, and only two hundreds in the format have been quicker overall.

The innings also completed an extraordinary series. Abhishek had already made 82 off 32 balls in the opener and 39 off 19 in the second match. Across three games, he amassed 229 runs off only 85 deliveries, scoring at a strike rate of 269.41. Those numbers alone would be enough to describe a devastating series, but the larger significance...