India, Sept. 18 -- Abhishek Sharma had already decided how India were going to approach the final T20I against Afghanistan. Standing in the pre-match huddle, the left-handed opener switched to Punjabi and told his teammates to "play like Soormas", warriors who would show no mercy and give the packed Arun Jaitley Stadium the entertainment it had come for. A few hours later, Sharma walked out and did exactly that, smashing the fastest T20I century by an Indian batter in just 30 balls. India completed a 3-0 sweep and Sharma walked away with the Player of the Series award after finishing with 229 runs in three innings at an average of 76.33 and a strike rate above 270.

What made the Afghanistan series more significant was the timing. Sharma ...