Rahmanullah Gurbaz Smashes 48-Ball Century Against India, Creates History

The fans at Dharamsala had to wait nearly four hours because of rain, but they were rewarded with a stunning innings from Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz. In a match reduced to 25 overs per side, Gurbaz smashed a brilliant century and entertained everyone with his aggressive batting.

Afghanistan were in trouble early after losing three wickets for just 26 runs in the powerplay. India’s bowlers, especially Arshdeep Singh and debutant Gurnoor Brar, made life difficult for the batters. However, Gurbaz stood firm and took the attack to the Indian bowlers.

The opener reached his century in just 48 balls, making it the fastest ODI hundred by an Afghanistan batter. It was also the second-fastest ODI century against India. Only Shahid Afridi's 45-ball hundred in 2005 was quicker. Gurbaz's knock included 8 fours and 8 sixes.

Gurbaz got a lucky break early in his innings. Arshdeep Singh trapped him LBW, but the umpire turned down the appeal. India decided not to review the decision, thinking there was an inside edge. Replays later showed that Gurbaz would have been out if India had taken the review.

Gurbaz Credits Gautam Gambhir for Valuable Advice

After surviving that moment, Gurbaz played with complete freedom. He charged down the pitch, hit powerful sixes, and punished every loose delivery. He especially attacked debutant spinner Harsh Dubey, scoring quickly and putting pressure back on India despite Afghanistan's poor start.

The Afghan batter finally got out for 102 runs from just 51 balls in the 16th over. Nitish Kumar Reddy dismissed him with a perfect yorker that crashed into the stumps. By then, Gurbaz had already given Afghanistan a strong platform with one of the best ODI innings of his career.

Speaking during the innings break, Gurbaz jokingly credited India head coach Gautam Gambhir for his knock. He revealed that Gambhir had spoken to him about shot selection after the one-off Test. Gurbaz said, "I had a good conversation with Gautam Gambhir after the Test match. He gave me some tips about shot selection, and it seems they worked well today."

The century was another special achievement for Gurbaz against India. He now has 276 runs in nine ODI matches against the Men in Blue. His 48-ball hundred also placed him second on the list of fastest ODI centuries against India.

Fastest ODI Hundreds Against India	Balls	Year
Shahid Afridi	45	2005
Rahmanullah Gurbaz	48	2026
James Faulkner	57	2013
AB de Villiers	57	2015
Michael Bracewell	57	2023

Team	First Batter to Score 10+ International Centuries	Year
England	Jack Hobbs	1925
Australia	Donald Bradman	1931
West Indies	George Headley	1939
India	Polly Umrigar	1961
Pakistan	Hanif Mohammad	1965
New Zealand	Glenn Turner	1983
Sri Lanka	Aravinda de Silva	1994
South Africa	Gary Kirsten	1996
Zimbabwe	Andy Flower	2000
Bangladesh	Tamim Iqbal	2014
Ireland	William Porterfield	2018
Scotland	Calum MacLeod	2022
Afghanistan	Rahmanullah Gurbaz	2026

 Fastest ODI Centuries by Balls Faced

Balls	Player	Team	Year
31	AB de Villiers	South Africa	2015
36	Corey Anderson	New Zealand	2014
37	Shahid Afridi	Pakistan	1996
40	Glenn Maxwell	Australia	2023
41	Asif Khan	UAE	2023
44	Mark Boucher	South Africa	2006
45	Brian Lara	West Indies	1999
45	Shahid Afridi	Pakistan	2005
46	Jesse Ryder	New Zealand	2014
46	Jos Buttler	England	2015
47	Jos Buttler	England	2022
47	Cameron Green	Australia	2025
48	Rahmanullah Gurbaz	Afghanistan	2026
48	Sanath Jayasuriya	Sri Lanka	1996
49	Aiden Markram	South Africa	2023
50	Jos Buttler	England	2019
50	Kevin O'Brien	Ireland	2011
51	Glenn Maxwell	Australia	2015
52	Virat Kohli	India	2013
52	AB de Villiers	South Africa	2015