Virat Kohli Finally Ends Century Drought After Close To Three Years With Scintillating Knock vs Afghanistan

08.09.2022 - 18:53 sports.ndtv.com

Virat Kohli finally ended a long wait, one which had started from November, 2019, when he last scored a century in international cricket.

On Thursday, the wait of more than two years and nine months ended when the former Indian cricket team captain reached the triple-figure mark with six off Fareed Ahmad in the 19th over of the Asia Cup Super 4 match against Afghanistan.

That shot meant that after almost three years, Kohli hit a ton - which was his 71st century across formats! With an authoritative pull shot against Fareed Ahmad's short ball, he cleared the deep mid-wicket boundary to reach the momentous mark.

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.

2022 Ricky Ponting Virat Kohli India Sri Lanka Afghanistan

Team India failed to qualify for the final of the Asia Cup 2022, due to a below-par performance in the Super 12 stage. Despite the failure, the Rohit Sharma-led side and the cricket fans got a moment to cherish for their lifetime and that was star batter Virat Kohli's much-awaited 71st century. This milestone was achieved during the Super 12 clash against Afghanistan, where he smashed an unbeaten 122 off just 61 balls. Before this, he had last hit a century in November 2019. Following his knock, Virat had taken a moment to appreciate his wife, actress Anushka Sharma and his daughter for being his pillars in tough times.

Virat Kohli 207 Runs Away From Surpassing Rahul Dravid To Achieve Big India Record

Star India batter Virat Kohli, who ended his two-and-a-half-year century drought in the Asia Cup 2022, had a memorable run in the entire tournament. Kohli ended his campaign with a total of 276 runs to his name, the second highest in the tournament. Kohli is now eyeing a good performance against Australia in the home series and yet another milestone in his career. He is just 207 runs away from surpassing India head coach Rahul Dravid to become the second highest run-getter across all formats for India. When achieves the mark he will also become the sixth-highest run-scorer in international cricket.

Virat Kohli Bowls In Nets Ahead Of 1st T20I vs Australia. See Pics

India and Australia would kickstart their final leg of preparation for the T20 World Cup on Tuesday when these two teams meet in the first of the three T20Is at the PCA Stadium in Mohali. It would be interesting to see what combination both teams go in with. Ahead of the first T20I, former India skipper Virat Kohli was seen bowling in the nets and this might be an indication that he be called upon as a bowler if any of the main bowlers are having a bad day at the office.

"If You Would Have Asked Three Years Ago...": Ricky Ponting On Whether Virat Kohli Can Surpass Sachin Tendulkar's 100-Ton Tally

Surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's feat of 100 international centuries is "possible" for Virat Kohli, Australian great Ricky Ponting has said looking at the Indian superstar's new-found hunger for runs. Kohli recently ended a wait of 1,020 days for his 71st international hundred when he smashed 122 not out off 61 balls against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup earlier this month. "If you would have asked me three years ago, I'd have said yes. But the fact that it has slowed down as much as it did... yeah, I still think that it is possible for him, there's no doubt," Ponting said on The ICC Review.

Watch: Punjab Cricket Association Shares Video Of Virat Kohli's Arrival In Mohali With Punjabi Music

India batter Virat Kohli touched down in Mohali on Saturday ahead of India's first T20I of the three-match series against Australia that is slated to take place at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium on Tuesday. The PCA shared the video of Kohli's arrival in the city with some editing that also included attaching a Punjabi song in the background. In the video, Kohli can be seen walking out of the airport with police officers and security staff around him.

"Don't Start This Nonsense": India Great Gautam Gambhir On Changing Virat Kohli's Batting Position

Virat Kohli and the Indian cricket team management must be feeling a lot light right now after the star batter ended his 1020-day century drought in style at the Asia Cup. Kohli 122* - the highest T20I score by an Indian - could not have come at a better time as the Rohit Sharma-led side prepares for the T20 World Cup in Australia. Kohli's ton against Afghanistan came while he was opening the batting for India. This has led many to ponder whether Kohli, who generally bats at No. 3 in T20Is, can be used as an opener.