Virat Kohli ended his longstanding wait for a hundred by smashing an unbeaten ton in the Super 4s Asia Cup 2022 encounter versus Afghanistan on September 8. The great India batter reached the three-figure mark after nearly three years with a superlative knock of 122 not out off 61 deliveries in Dubai.
He blazed his willow for an exceptional innings that went at a strike-rate of 200, featuring 12 fours and 6 sixes along the way. It was an effort that took India to a gigantic score of 212/2 in their allotted 20 overs and allowed Rohit Sharma and co. to end their rather unconvincing campaign in the tournament with a consolation win.
It was Kohli’s maiden T20I hundred for India after 104 innings. The batter ticked off the box for his illustrious career in what is considered the middle of the twilight stage for him in India colours and potentially his last leg in the shortest format. A T20 World Cup hero at the peak of his prowess, Kohli couldn’t achieve the feat in his heyday but found enough resolve in him to pull off the ton near his sunset.
The knock versus Afghanistan also ended the long wait for Kohli’s 71st century on the international stage. His previous ton arrived in the first-innings of the D/N Test against Bangladesh in Kolkata, a period in which he went through 83 innings across formats without raising his bat. Once a run-machine with the bat in hand, Kohli lost a lot of invincibility about him in this phase.
Notably, the 33-year-old faced question marks over his frontfoot-dominated technique versus seam bowling in Tests, averaging only 27.25 across 18 matches in the pandemic years. Pertinent to T20 cricket, Kohli has suffered an alarming dip in his returns versus spin. He had a strike-rate of 103.57 against the tweakers in T20Is prior to the Asia Cup in UAE, with the corresponding number for the IPL standing at 105.97 from three seasons worth of batting for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
In an encouraging turn of events, however, Kohli’s 122 versus Afghanistan was built on his domination against the spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb ur Rahman. Kohli showcased impressive footwork and agility at the crease facing the famed troika to set himself up for an assault against the hapless Afghan seamers at the death.
His knock earned Kohli the ‘Player of the Match’ award in India’s victory as he also ended the tournament as the team’s top run-getter with 276 runs. With two half-centuries and a century to his name, plus the overall strike-rate of 147.59, Kohli was perhaps India’s only real positive from a disappointing run, where close losses to Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Super 4s ended the hopes of the defending champions.
While obviously at dismay by his team’s exit from the competition, Kohli will take a lot of heart on the personal front because of the way he batted after taking a critical mental health break in the lead-up to the regional event. In an interview with host broadcasters Star Sports, the former India skipper had confirmed he was feeling mentally fatigued and needed the month-long breather provided by the selectors and the management after the tour of England in July.
Kohli said he didn’t train for the better part of the break, something which made him realise he was perhaps “faking my intensity“ to go through the grind every day. The cricketer said he needed to recharge his batteries to be able to make his best contributions to the team.
