Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan scored his maiden T20I century for India on Saturday (January 31). The 27-year-old cricketer from Patna, who represents Jharkhand in domestic cricket, needed just 42 balls
against New Zealand at Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram to reach the 100-run mark. Ishan’s maiden T20I century (103 runs from 43 balls) helped India post a total of 271/5 and then secure a win by 46 runs.
After winning the Player Of The Match award in the fifth T20I for his 103-run knock, Ishan Kishan took to Instagram to share seven pictures from the match. But more than Ishan’s post, what caught everyone’s attention was Shubman Gill’s comment on that post.
Gill, who is captain of India’s Test and ODI teams, wrote, “LFFFGGGG unreal knock. Keep going brother.”
Here’s a look:
Gill, who played as an opener in the Asia Cup 2025, was dropped from India’s T20I World Cup 2026 squad on December 20, 2025, along with Jitesh Sharma, and in their place Ishan and Rinku Singh were added to India’s squad.
42-ball century
In the fifth T20I against New Zealand, Ishan needed just 42 balls to score a century for India. Ishan’s 42-ball century is the fifth fastest by an Indian batter in the 20-over format of the game.
Fastest 100s for India in T20Is
| PLAYER | BALLS | AGAINST | VENUE | DATE |
| Rohit Sharma | 35 | Sri Lanka | Indore | December 22, 2017 |
| Abhishek Sharma | 37 | England | Mumbai (WS) | February 2, 2025 |
| Sanju Samson | 40 | Bangladesh | Hyderabad | October 12, 2024 |
| Tilak Varma | 41 | South Africa | Johannesburg | November 15, 2024 |
| Ishan Kishan | 42 | New Zealand | Thiruvananthapuram | January 31, 2026 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 45 | Sri Lanka | Rajkot | January 7, 2023 |
| KL Rahul | 46 | West Indies | Lauderhill | August 27, 2016 |
| Abhishek Sharma | 46 | Zimbabwe | Harare | July 7, 2024 |
| Sanju Samson | 47 | South Africa | Durban | November 8, 2024 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 48 | England | Nottingham | July 10, 2022 |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 48 | Nepal | Hangzhou | October 3, 2023 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 49 | New Zealand | Mount Maunganui | November 20, 2022 |
During his stay at the crease for India in the fifth T20I match, Ishan slammed six fours and 10 sixes and added 137 runs from 57 balls for the third wicket with Suryakumar Yadav (63 runs from 30 balls).
Surya is the third Indian batter after Suryakumar and Shubman Gill to score a century in T20Is against New Zealand and the fifth Indian to hit 10 or more sixes in a T20I innings.
Indians to score T20I century vs New Zealand
| BATTER | RUNS | BALLS | 4/6s | STRIKE RATE | VENUE | DATE |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 111* | 51 | 11/7 | 217.64 | Mount Maunganui | November 20, 2022 |
| Shubman Gill | 126* | 63 | 12/7 | 200 | Ahmedabad | February 1, 2023 |
| Ishan Kishan | 103 | 43 | 6/10 | 239.53 | Thiruvananthapuram | January 31, 2026 |
Most sixes for India in a T20I match
| PLAYER | RUNS | BALLS | SIXES | AGAINST | VENUE | DATE |
| Abhishek Sharma | 135 | 54 | 13 | England | Mumbai (WS) | February 2, 2025 |
| Rohit Sharma | 118 | 43 | 10 | Sri Lanka | Indore | December 22, 2017 |
| Sanju Samson | 107 | 50 | 10 | South Africa | Durban | November 8, 2024 |
| Tilak Varma | 120* | 47 | 10 | South Africa | Johannesburg | November 15, 2024 |
| Ishan Kishan | 103 | 43 | 10 | New Zealand | Thiruvananthapuram | January 31, 2026 |
The record of hitting the most sixes in a T20I match for India is in the name of Abhishek Sharma. During his 135-run knock against England at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 2, 2025, Abhishek hammered 13 maximums for the Men in Blue.
