Virat Kohli Fires T20 World Cup Warning After Long-Awaited Century

09.09.2022 - 13:41 sports.ndtv.com

India's Virat Kohli says he was "pleasantly surprised" to get his long-awaited century in the short format as he targets more runs in the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Kohli on Thursday scored his 71st international ton -- his first ever in a T20 for India -- after a gap of 1,020 days to help India end the Asia Cup with a crushing win over Afghanistan in Dubai.

India's campaign in the tournament ended early after they lost their first two Super 4 matches to Pakistan and Sri Lanka -- the teams that made Sunday's final with two wins each.

But Kohli shrugged off his extended dry run with the bat to score two successive half-centuries and then an unbeaten 122 off 61 balls to lead the tournament batting chart so far with 276 runs in five matches. "This tournament was important for us," Kohli said in an interview with skipper Rohit Sharma on India's cricket board website. "We got an exposure of a knockout stage, of being under pressure but our goal is the World Cup in Australia and we are improving as a team.

cricket 2022 cup Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma Australia Zimbabwe India Sri Lanka Afghanistan Hong Kong Pakistan

India will be looking to round off their T20 World Cup preparation with a marked improvement in their death bowling besides providing crucial game time to its untested players in the three-match series against South Africa, beginning here on Wednesday. India skipper Rohit Sharma, expectedly, singled out death bowling as an area that requires improvement following the series win over Australia. The hosts will be without two of their key bowlers, Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who have been rested ahead of the ICC event next month.

Viral video - Watch: Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma's ecstatic celebrations after series win vs Australia

Chasing a tricky 187 in the series decider, India needed 11 runs off the final 6 balls and got across the finish line with a ball to spare. As soon as Hardik Pandya got a streaky boundary off Daniel Sams to take India home, wild celebrations were sparked around the stadium in Hyderabad and in the Indian dressing room as well. Skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were sitting on the dressing room stairs watching the end of the match. Virat still had his pads on. With the equation boiling down to 4 needed off the last 2 balls, it became a nail-biting finish. As soon as Hardik stretched to connect his bat with a wide Sams delivery which beat the keeper and first slip on its way to the boundary, Virat and Rohit cheered and hugged each other. Harshal Patel, also with his pads on, was seen sitting behind them. Not surprisingly, videos of Virat and Rohit celebrating went viral on social media. Watch:

"Dinesh Karthik Needs Little More...": Rohit Sharma On Veteran Ahead Of T20 World Cup

India skipper Rohit Sharma wants to give wicketkeeper batter Dinesh Karthik more time in the middle before the team heads Down Under for the T20 World Cup next month. India have been alternating between Karthik and Rishabh Pant in their playing XI. While the young keeper was given the nod ahead of the veteran player in the Asia Cup, Karthik was picked for all three matches against Australia. "I wanted both of these guys to have a number of games under their belt before the World Cup. When we went to the Asia Cup both of these guys were in the fray to play all games," Rohit said at the post-match press conference after India clinched the three-match series against Australia on Sunday.

"Only Thing That Concerns Me...": Sanjay Manjrekar On The Need Of "X-Factor" In India's T20 World Cup Squad

A tried and tested Indian squad has been named for the T20 World Cup 2022. The squad bore a striking resemblance to the one that played in the recently-concluded Asia Cup, barring the exception of Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel - both of whom made a return to the squad after recuperating from injuries. In the spin department, India has gone ahead with three specialists - Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel. Former Indian cricket team player Sanjay Manjrekar gave his take on the spin troika.

Ravi Bishnoi Posts Cryptic Story After Making Standby List For T20 World Cup

The 2022 T20 World Cup is just a month away. All teams are in the final phase of the preparation. The Rohit Sharma-led Indian team is also gearing up for the mega event with two bilateral series against Australia and South Africa. Apart for the 15 members in the main squad, the selectors also announced four standby players, which include veteran paceman Mohammed Shami, all-rounder Deepak Chahar, spinner Ravi Bishnoi and top order batter Shreyas Iyer. Bishnoi was part of the team that played in the Asia Cup and bowled with a lot of heart.

BCCI Unveils New Team India T20 Jersey Ahead Of T20 World Cup

The BCCI on Sunday unveiled the new T20 jersey for the Indian men and women's cricket teams. The unveiling comes a month ahead of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia next month and two days before India's T20I series against Australia. "To every cricket fan out there, this one's for you. Presenting the all new T20 Jersey - One Blue Jersey," the BCCI tweeted. The jersey comprises a light blue t-shirt with sleeves of a darker shade of blue, paired with light blue trousers.