"My 60s Became Failures...": Virat Kohli After Ending Century Drought In Asia Cup

09.09.2022 - 06:13 sports.ndtv.com

Star India batter Virat Kohli on Thursday ended a long wait before finally scoring his first century in nearly three years. Kohli, who last scored a century back in November 2019, scored an unbeaten 122 off 61 balls in the Asia Cup Super 4 clash in Dubai.

While India might've failed to reach the final of the Asia Cup, Kohli's return to form has been the biggest positive, especially with the T20 World Cup scheduled to be held in Australia next month.

Prior to the Asia Cup, several current and former players had questioned Kohli's place in the team at the showpiece event. However, with 296 runs in five matches, Kohli has surely silenced his critics.

During the post-match presentation, Kohli, who won the man of the match for his blistering knock, said he was "shocked" how his knocks of 50s and 60s were labelled as "failures" during the time he was not scoring tons. "What actually surprised me was my 60s became failures, which was very shocking for me.

cricket cup Virat Kohli Asia Cup Star India Australia India Dubai Afghanistan

A day after former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi came out with some retirement advice for India star Virat Kohli, former India leg-spinner Amit Mishra had a sharp reply. Afridi had said that Kohli, whenever he chooses to retire, should do so on a high and that it shouldn't come at a stage when he is being dropped from the team. Reacting to a news report on Afridi's quotes, Amit Mishra wrote "Dear Afridi, some people retire only once so please spare Virat Kohli from all this."

"Shouldn't Reach A Stage...": Shahid Afridi's Retirement Advice For Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli has allayed many doubters with his terrific form in the recently-concluded Asia Cup. The former Indian cricket team captain hit a ton and two half-centuries to end the tournament on a great note. Though India could not qualify for the final, Kohli's form was definitely a positive for the team. It will also boost the side going into the T20 World Cup. Kohli will turn 34 in November, and several experts have talked about whether he should be giving up one of the formats in near future. Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi said that whenever Kohli decides to bid adieu to cricket, he should be at the top of his game.

"Khao Piyo Aish Karo Mitro": Virat Kohli Shares Adorable Throwback Picture

India star batter Virat Kohli shared a throwback photo of himself on Saturday. Kohli ended his century drought in the Asia Cup match against Afghanistan earlier this week. He smashed 122 runs off just 61 balls, registering his 71st international ton, and first in the shortest format of the game. His previous three-figure score came almost three years ago against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens. Taking to Instagram, Kohli shared a throwback photo, in which he can be seen enjoying a wholesome meal.

"T20 Cricket Needs To Explore...": Ex-India Batter On Toss Playing Crucial Role in Asia Cup

The Asia Cup final will be played between Pakistan and Sri Lanka on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium. India who were being touted as the favourites failed to make it to the final after winning just one game out of three while Afghanistan lost all of their Super 4 matches. However, former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has now highlighted how toss played a big role in the tournament. He also highlighted that India lost tosses in their three Super 4 games while Afghanistan lost two.

Anushka Sharma "Iron Lady", Virat Kohli "Man Made Of Steel": Shoaib Akhtar On Power Couple

After smashing his 71st century in international cricket, Virat Kohli credited his wife Anushka Sharma for having his back, especially when nothing was going right for the star batter. Kohli, who had not scored a century in nearly three years, reached triple figures against Afghanistan in the ongoing Asia Cup. He slammed an unbeaten 122 off 61 balls, hitting 12 fours and six sixes. Sharing his views on Kohli's post-match quote on his wife Anushka, former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar hailed the power couple.

Watch: Virat Kohli Celebrates In Special Fashion After Ending 1021-Day Century Drought

It was the end of a 1021-day wait. In those days, Virat Kohli, one of India's most prolific scorers ever in cricket, could not hit a century. Before that drought came, Kohli scored 70 tons in international cricket. The wait for the 71st was long but it has finally ended. Against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup on Thursday, Kohli ultimately finished of 122* off just 61 balls, which is the highest individual T20I score for India. He surpassed Rohit Sharma's 118 against Sri Lanka in Indore in 2017. He has also now equalled Ricky Ponting's mark of 71 international centuries. Only Sachin Tendulkar (100) has scored more tons than Kohli and Ponting in international cricket.