Virat Kohli Celebrates in Style After Ending the 1021-Day Century Drought. Virat Kohli went all out to celebrate his 71st international century, his first since November 2019.
It was the culmination of a 1021-day wait. Virat Kohli, one of India’s most prolific scorers of all time, couldn’t hit a century back then. Kohli had 70 tons in international cricket prior to the drought. The 71st has finally arrived after a long wait. Kohli finished with 122* off 61 balls against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup on Thursday, the highest individual T20I score for India. In 2017, he surpassed Rohit Sharma’s 118 against Sri Lanka in Indore. He has now surpassed Ricky Ponting’s record of 71 international centuries. Only Sachin Tendulkar (100 tons) has more international tons than Kohli and Ponting.
Kohli celebrated his century, his first ever in T20Is, in a unique way.
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Watch Virat Kohli celebration after scoring India’s 71st century.
Kohli’s relief was visible on his face as he removed his helmet, and he broke into a beaming smile.
After raising his bat to the fans and his dressing room, he kissed his wedding ring.
Kohli dedicated his ton to wife Anushka and daughter Vamika during his celebration.
“In addition, I kissed my ring in celebration. You see me standing here because of everything that has been put into perspective by one person – Anushka – who has stood by me through all of these difficult times. This hundred is dedicated to her as well as our young daughter Vamika “He stated.
The moment was particularly significant for Kohli, who had recently faced criticism for his form.
After reaching the three-figure mark, Kohli stated that his celebration was not one of his usual pumped-up, “angry” ones.
“The last two and a half years have taught me a lot, and I’ll be 34 in November, so those celebrations are a thing of the past,” he said during the inning break.
“Actually, I was a little surprised because this was a format where I didn’t expect much. I’ve been working hard, and this is a very special moment for me and the team,” Kohli said.
“It was a combination of things. The team has been open and helpful. It gave me space to work on my game. I know there was a lot going on outside of me. They really kept my perspective right.”
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