Asia Cup 2022: Virat Kohli’s Century Drought End, King Kohli Is Back With 1st T20I Ton. The moment that all Virat Kohli’s fans and Kohli himself have been waiting for for around 1000 days has finally arrived. Yes, you have guessed it right. Virat Kohli, the run machine, has scored his 71st century in International cricket.
The occasion was India’s final outing in the Asia Cup 2022 against Afghanistan, and the venue which has witnessed this much-awaited achievement is Dubai international cricket stadium. The innings played by Virat Kohli today was one of his best T20 knocks ever. The timing, the class, the temperament, the passion, everything was superb.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2022: Full List Of Man Of The Match Award And Results
Indian fans may be disappointed by the early exit of team India from the Asia Cup 2022. Still, they will finally feel relief that the Asia Cup has become the occasion for Kohli to score his much-awaited 71st century.
Virat Kohli Overall Stats In Asia Cup (2010-2022)
| FORMAT | MATCHES | RUNS | AVERAGE | 100 | 50 |
| ODI | 11 | 613 | 61.3 | 3 | 1 |
| T20 | 10 | 429 | 83.5 | 1 | 3 |
Note- Kohli has become the batsman to score the second most century in Asia Cup history (4). Sanath Jayasuriya holds the record for the most centuries in the Asia cup (6 centuries).
Asia Cup 2022 India vs Afghanistan Super 4 Match
India and Afghanistan locked horns against each other in a virtual dead rubber. After the heartbreaking loss against Pakistan the other night, India and Afghanistan were eliminated from the race to qualify for the Asia Cup 2022 final. So, this match seemed like a formality to complete.
India made a few changes, including giving rest to their captain Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and Yuzvendra Chahal. They were replaced by Karthik, Axar Patel, and Deepak Chahar. In the absence of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli opened the innings for India.
King Kohli’s 1st T20I Ton
Kohli scored 122* in just 61 balls. This included 12 fours and 6 massive sixes. He reached the landmark with a six over deep mid-wicket on the bowling of Fareed Ahmed. Virat Kohli’s last century in International cricket came way back in Nov 2019, against Bangladesh in test format.
With this much-awaited century, Kohli has equaled the record of the second highest century in International cricket (Ricky Ponting scored 71 centuries). He is just behind Sachin Tendulkar’s 100 centuries record.
The 34-year-old batsman has been under immense pressure over the last few months for his lean patch. A lot of cricket experts even questioned his place in the T20I team. But, his innings today against Afghanistan are enough to silence the critics.
Also Read: ICC T20 World Cup 2022: India Schedule, Broadcast Channel List, Live Streaming India, And Worldwide
The way Virat Kohli celebrated his century was a very emotional moment for him. The celebration seemed more like a sigh of relief than excitement. In the Asia Cup 2022, this was Kohli’s third score above 50.
The time has come for Virat Kohli to carry this momentum and take the team forward in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2022. But, today, all Virat Kohli’s fans will surely have a party time. After all, it is their star who has played the much-awaited innings.
