After hitting his 71st century in international cricket — and his first since November 2019 — Virat Kohli celebrated in an unusual way after achieving the feat at the Asia Cup.
It marked the conclusion of a wait that had lasted 1021 days. During that time period, Virat Kohli, one of India’s most prolific scorers in the history of cricket, was unable to reach the century mark. Before that dry spell, Kohli had amassed 70 tonnes in his career playing international cricket.
The 71st was delayed for a significant amount of time, but it is now finally here. On Thursday, during India’s match against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup, Virat Kohli concluded with 122 not out off just 61 balls, which is the best individual score for India in a Twenty20 International.
In 2017, while playing Sri Lanka in Indore, he scored more than Rohit Sharma’s 118 runs. Additionally, he has now reached 71 international centuries, which is the same number as Ricky Ponting’s record. In the history of international cricket, only Sachin Tendulkar has scored more tonnes than both Kohli and Ponting combined (100).
As soon as he pulled off his helmet, Kohli’s expression changed into a gleaming smile, which revealed the relief that was written all over his face.
After saluting the crowd and the players in his locker room with his bat, he proceeded to kiss the ring that was on his wedding finger.
Kohli stated that he would like to dedicate his century to his wife Anushka and their baby Vamika during his celebration.
“And I kissed my ring in celebration as well. You see me standing here because of everything that has been put into perspective by one person, who stood by me through all of these difficult times – that’s Anushka. This hundred is dedicated to her and for our little daughter Vamika as well,” he said. “And you see me standing here because of all of the things that has been put into perspective by one person, who stood by me through all of these difficult times – that’s Anushka
Because of the criticism he had received concerning his performance over the past few months, Kohli found the moment to be very meaningful.
After reaching the three-figure threshold, Kohli said on how his celebration wasn’t one of his typical “mad” or “pumped up” ones despite surpassing the milestone.
During the break between innings, he shared his thoughts by saying, “The last two and a half years have taught me a lot. I am going to turn 34 in November, so those festivities are a thing of the past.”
“I have been training hard, and this is a very important moment for myself and for the team as well,” Kohli said. “Actually, I was a bit stunned. This was a format where I least anticipated a tonne.”
“I know there was a lot going on on the outside of my life, and they really kept my perspective correct. It was an accumulation of a lot of things. The team has been open and helpful. It provided me freedom to work on my game.”
