NEW DELHI: Punjab’s Anmolpreet Singh created history as he smashed the fastest List A century by an Indian batter, reaching the milestone in just 35 balls during a Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Arunachal Pradesh in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
This incredible knock ranks as the third-fastest List A century overall, trailing only Australia’s Jake Fraser-McGurk (29 balls) and South Africa’s AB de Villiers (31 balls).
De Villiers still holds the record for the fastest ODI century by smashing 149 off 44 balls for South Africa against West Indies in Johannesburg in January 2015.
Anmolpreet’s achievement broke the previous Indian record held by Yusuf Pathan, who scored a 40-ball century for Baroda against Maharashtra in the 2009-10 Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Anmolpreet’s explosive knock powered Punjab to a dominant nine-wicket victory as they chased down Arunachal Pradesh’s target of 164 in just 12.5 overs. He smashed an unbeaten 115 off just 45 balls, laced with 12 fours and 9 sixes.
Anmolpreet, who previously played for the Mumbai Indians (MI) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL, albeit with modest performances, failed to find any takers in the mega IPL auction last month.