Players.bio is a large online platform sharing the best live coverage of your favourite sports: Football, Golf, Rugby, Cricket, F1, Boxing, NFL, NBA, plus the latest sports news, transfers & scores. Exclusive interviews, fresh photos and videos, breaking news. Stay tuned to know everything you wish about your favorite stars 24/7. Check our daily updates and make sure you don't miss anything about celebrities' lives.
DUBAI : Virat Kohli's agonising wait for an international hundred is finally over and the star Indian batsman is surprised he ended the drought with a century in the game's 20-overs format.
Virat Kohli, who struck his maiden T20I century during Asia Cup match against Afghanistan, should continue to bat as an opener going into World Cup alongside Rohit Sharma. With Rohit Shama opting out of inconsequential contest against Afghanistan, Kohli opened the batting with Rahul. The question was loaded because if Kohli opens the batting, it would mean that Rahul, whose T20 batting approach is already under the scanner, would have to sit out. "Toh kya mai khud baith jaun? (So then should I sit out?)," a perplexed Rahul, obviously not one bit amused, counter-questioned. The Indian vice-captain firmly believes that Kohli is not dependent on opening slot to get a huge score.
Dinesh Karthik has been around for a while. He made his international debut way back in September 2004 in an ODI vs England at Lord's. So far the 37-year-old has played 170 international matches (across all three formats) for India. He has scored over 3000 international runs, played match-winning knocks, kept wickets, taken over 100 international catches and pulled off stumpings. But the one thing he hadn't tried his hand at in an international game, till India's Asia Cup Super 4 match vs Afghanistan on Thursday, was bowling. Now, Karthik has bowling figures against his name as well for the first time in his 18-year-long India career. On Thursday, Karthik bowled the first-ever over of his international career when stand-in captain KL Rahul gave him the white leather during the Asia Cup 2022 match against Afghanistan. India had already been knocked out of the Asia Cup prior to this game. After posting a mammoth 212 for 2 in 20 over, thanks largely to a belligerent and much-awaited century by Virat Kohli (122* off 61 balls), the Indian bowlers put the Afghans on the mat at 21/6 in as early as the 7th over. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the pick of the Indian bowlers returning astonishing figures of 5/4 in his allotted 4 overs. It was in a way surprising to see the Afghan innings extend till the 20th over and the world number 10 ranked team, who have improved in leaps and bounds in the shortest format, not being bowled out, considering the 7th wicket fell in the form of all-rounder Rashid Khan with just 54 runs on the board. Ibrahim Zadran stood tall amidst the ruins with an unbeaten 59 ball 64. He came in at number 3 and stayed till the end, bringing up his 50 and his team's 100 in the very last over.
India captain Rohit Sharma opted to rest in their final Asia Cup Super 4 match against Afghanistan, but Virat Kohli, opening the batting in his absence, smashed his 71st international century and his first in T20Is. Kohli went on to hit an unbeaten 122 off 61 deliveries as India romped to a 101-run win in Dubai. After the match, Kohli was interviewed by Rohit and he opened up about his innings and finally ending a century drought that lasted nearly three years.
Pakistan have hit a purple patch in T20 cricket and it is reflected in the rankings table.
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.
Virat Kohli has set lofty standards for himself but after finally scoring his first hundred in 1020 days, the star India batter expressed surprise that the 60s he scored over the last couple of years were seen as his failures. Kohli on Thursday smashed 122 not out off 61 balls to get his maiden T20 hundred and help India register a huge 101-run win over Afghanistan in the inconsequential Asia Cup match here. "Today was the build of the last few games, I batted out of my skin to be honest and I surprised myself.
TOI understands that the Indian cricket board (BCCI) intends to pick its team on September 16. As the deadline approaches, the selectors and team management are fretting over the fitness of premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah has been out of action since the England tour in July due to a back injury. Harshal Patel is also recovering from a rib injury.