To score a century in cricket is one of the most bloody fantastic things ever, but to do it within a few balls at 100 runs is a different kind of special. The legendary batters include AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum to Sahil Chauhan in the fastest 100 in cricket records. Fastest centuries in ODI, Test, T20I, IPL and Women’s cricket.
Fastest 100 in Cricket History – Complete Overview
It varies based on the format and tournament as to who scored the fastest century in cricket. International, domestic and franchise cricket have their own records so it is worth making sure performances are compared within the same category.
| Cricket Format | Player | Balls to 100 | Country/Team |
| Men’s ODI | AB de Villiers | 31 | South Africa |
| Men’s T20I | Sahil Chauhan | 27 | Estonia |
| Men’s Test | Brendon McCullum | 54 | New Zealand |
| IPL | Chris Gayle | 30 | Royal Challengers Bangalore |
| Men’s List A | Jake Fraser-McGurk | 29 | South Australia |
| Men’s T20 cricket | Chris Gayle | 30 | RCB |
Note: Balls to 100 does not refer to the total number of deliveries a batter faced at the end of their innings – it is the individual count for getting from zero to one hundred.
Top 10 Fastest Centuries in Cricket History
| Player | Balls | Team | Format | Year |
| Sahil Chauhan | 27 | Estonia | T20I | 2024 |
| Jake Fraser-McGurk | 29 | South Australia | List A | 2023 |
| Muhammad Fahad | 29 | Turkey | T20I | 2025 |
| Chris Gayle | 30 | RCB | IPL | 2013 |
| Abhishek Sharma | 30 | India | T20I | 2026 |
| AB de Villiers | 31 | South Africa | ODI | 2015 |
| Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton | 33 | Namibia | T20I | 2024 |
| Sikandar Raza | 33 | Zimbabwe | T20I | 2024 |
| Finn Allen | 33 | New Zealand | T20I | 2026 |
| Kushal Malla | 34 | Nepal | T20I | 2023 |
Fastest 100 in International Cricket
| Format | Record Holder | Balls | Opponent | Year |
| ODI | AB de Villiers | 31 | West Indies | 2015 |
| T20I | Sahil Chauhan | 27 | Cyprus | 2024 |
| Test | Brendon McCullum | 54 | Australia | 2016 |
Fastest Century in ODI Cricket
On January 18, 2015, AB de Villiers registered the fastest ODI century in just 31 balls against West Indies. He scored a total of 149 runs off just 44 balls, hitting 16 sixes and nine fours in the process.
Fastest Century in T20 International Cricket
On June 17, 2024, Sahil Chauhan of Estonia scored a century off just 27 balls against Cyprus. He ended not out on 144 from 41 balls.
Fastest Century in Test Cricket
This breaks the previous record of 56-ball ton previously scored in Christchurch by Brendon McCullum against Australia, also in February 2016.
Fastest 100 in ODI Cricket – Top 10 Players
| Player | Country | Balls | Opponent | Year |
| AB de Villiers | South Africa | 31 | West Indies | 2015 |
| Corey Anderson | New Zealand | 36 | West Indies | 2014 |
| Shahid Afridi | Pakistan | 37 | Sri Lanka | 1996 |
| Glenn Maxwell | Australia | 40 | Netherlands | 2023 |
| Asif Khan | UAE | 41 | Nepal | 2023 |
| Mark Boucher | South Africa | 44 | Zimbabwe | 2006 |
| Brian Lara | West Indies | 45 | Bangladesh | 1999 |
| Shahid Afridi | Pakistan | 45 | India | 2005 |
| Jesse Ryder | New Zealand | 46 | West Indies | 2014 |
| Jos Buttler | England | 46 | Pakistan | 2015 |
Fastest 100 in T20 International Cricket – Top 10 Players
| Player | Country | Balls | Opponent | Year |
| Sahil Chauhan | Estonia | 27 | Cyprus | 2024 |
| Muhammad Fahad | Turkey | 29 | Bulgaria | 2025 |
| Abhishek Sharma | India | 30 | Afghanistan | 2026 |
| Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton | Namibia | 33 | Nepal | 2024 |
| Sikandar Raza | Zimbabwe | 33 | Gambia | 2024 |
| Finn Allen | New Zealand | 33 | South Africa | 2026 |
| Kushal Malla | Nepal | 34 | Mongolia | 2023 |
| David Miller | South Africa | 35 | Bangladesh | 2017 |
| Rohit Sharma | India | 35 | Sri Lanka | 2017 |
| Sudesh Wickramasekara | Czech Republic | 35 | Turkey | 2019 |
Abhishek Sharma’s 30-ball century in September 2026 became the fastest men’s T20I hundred by a player representing an ICC Full Member nation.
Fastest 100 in Test Cricket – Top 10 Players
| Player | Country | Balls | Opponent | Year |
| Brendon McCullum | New Zealand | 54 | Australia | 2016 |
| Viv Richards | West Indies | 56 | England | 1986 |
| Misbah-ul-Haq | Pakistan | 56 | Australia | 2014 |
| Adam Gilchrist | Australia | 57 | England | 2006 |
| Jack Gregory | Australia | 67 | South Africa | 1921 |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul | West Indies | 69 | Australia | 2003 |
| David Warner | Australia | 69 | India | 2012 |
| Travis Head | Australia | 69 | England | 2025 |
| Chris Gayle | West Indies | 70 | Australia | 2009 |
| Roy Fredericks | West Indies | 71 | Australia | 1975 |
Fastest 100 in IPL History
The Indian Premier League has witnessed some of cricket’s most explosive centuries, with Chris Gayle holding the record.
| Player | Team | Balls | Opponent | Year |
| Chris Gayle | RCB | 30 | Pune Warriors | 2013 |
| Vaibhav Suryavanshi | RR | 35 | Gujarat Titans | 2025 |
| Yusuf Pathan | RR | 37 | Mumbai Indians | 2010 |
| David Miller | KXIP | 38 | RCB | 2013 |
| Travis Head | SRH | 39 | RCB | 2024 |
| Priyansh Arya | PBKS | 39 | CSK | 2025 |
| Will Jacks | RCB | 41 | Gujarat Titans | 2024 |
| Adam Gilchrist | Deccan Chargers | 42 | Mumbai Indians | 2008 |
| AB de Villiers | RCB | 43 | Gujarat Lions | 2016 |
| David Warner | SRH | 43 | KKR | 2017 |
Fastest 100 in Cricket by Indian Players
| Format | Indian Player | Balls | Opponent | Year |
| ODI | Virat Kohli | 52 | Australia | 2013 |
| T20I | Abhishek Sharma | 30 | Afghanistan | 2026 |
| Test | Virender Sehwag | 78 | West Indies | 2006 |
| IPL | Vaibhav Suryavanshi | 35 | Gujarat Titans | 2025 |
Fastest 100 in Domestic and Franchise Cricket
| Player | Balls | Competition | Year |
| Jake Fraser-McGurk | 29 | Australian One-Day Cup | 2023 |
| Chris Gayle | 30 | IPL | 2013 |
| Kiran Navgire | 34 | Senior Women’s T20 Trophy | 2025 |
| Vaibhav Suryavanshi | 35 | IPL | 2025 |
| Sophie Devine | 36 | Women’s Super Smash | 2021 |
Fastest 100 in Women’s Cricket
| Format | Player | Country | Balls | Year |
| Women’s ODI | Meg Lanning | Australia | 45 | 2012 |
| Women’s T20I | Deandra Dottin | West Indies | 38 | 2010 |
| Women’s Test | Nat Sciver-Brunt | England | 96 | 2024 |
| Women’s Domestic T20 | Kiran Navgire | India | 34 | 2025 |
Fastest Centuries by Famous International Cricketers
| Player | Notable Fast Century | Balls | Format |
| AB de Villiers | vs West Indies, 2015 | 31 | ODI |
| Chris Gayle | vs Pune Warriors, 2013 | 30 | IPL |
| Shahid Afridi | vs Sri Lanka, 1996 | 37 | ODI |
| Rohit Sharma | vs Sri Lanka, 2017 | 35 | T20I |
| Virat Kohli | vs Australia, 2013 | 52 | ODI |
| Glenn Maxwell | vs Netherlands, 2023 | 40 | ODI |
FAQs
Who scored the fastest 100 in cricket history?
Sahil Chauhan scored a 27-ball T20I century for Estonia against Cyprus in 2024, one of the fastest recorded hundreds in recognized international cricket.
Who scored a century in just 17 balls?
A 17-ball century is associated with Chris Gayle in an unofficial exhibition match. It is not recognized as a professional international cricket record.
Who scored the fastest 100 in international cricket?
Sahil Chauhan holds the men’s international record with a 27-ball century against Cyprus in 2024.
Who scored the fastest 100 in ODI cricket?
AB de Villiers scored the fastest ODI century in 31 balls against West Indies in 2015.
Who scored the fastest 100 in T20 cricket?
Sahil Chauhan holds the men’s T20I record with 27 balls, while Chris Gayle holds the IPL record with 30 balls.
Who scored the fastest 100 in Test cricket?
Brendon McCullum scored the fastest men’s Test century in 54 balls against Australia in 2016.
Who scored the fastest 100 in IPL history?
Chris Gayle scored a 30-ball century for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors India in 2013.
Who scored the fastest 100 for India?
The answer depends on the format. Abhishek Sharma scored India’s fastest men’s T20I century in 30 balls in 2026, while Virat Kohli holds the men’s ODI record with 52 ball.
Conclusion
The Fastest 100 in cricket records showcase the brilliant batting skills of players from different eras of this format. Sahil Chauhan made history with his 27-ball T20I hundred while AB de Villiers notched up a 31-ball ODI hundred and Chris Gayle continued to single-handedly slay the IPL. Each performance is unique because all formats yield different records.
Also Read: Fastest ODI Century for India || Fastest Delivery in Cricket History || Virat Kohli Total Centuries

