Virat Kohli ended a near-three-year drought by bringing up his maiden T20I hundred against Afghanistan in India’s final game of the 2022 Asia Cup on Thursday.
Kohli had not scored a century since his 136 in a day-night Test against Bangladesh in November, 2019, and by bringing up the three-figure mark for the first time in the T20I format, the former India captain — along with millions of fans — heaved a sigh of relief, having finally got the monkey off his back.
Read: Kohli’s poised 71st ton answers many questions, raises more about batting order
Besides Kohli and seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who redeemed himself for consecutive disastrous outings earlier this week with a sensational spell (5/4), opener KL Rahul too regained form in the Super 4 clash against the Afghans.
Rahul had been getting starts since his comeback from a long injury layoff, but it was only on Thursday that he could convert one into a bigger score as he dished out a 41-ball 62 that was laced with six fours and a couple of maximums.
Kohli’s success at the top of the order, however, will have raised questions about the possibility of him opening alongside skipper Rohit Sharma in India’s upcoming fixtures at home as well as in the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. And vice-captain Rahul was asked the same after the match, to which he had a hilarious response.
“Toh mai khud baith jaun phir? (should I sit myself out then?) said Rahul when quizzed by a reporter during the post-match press conference.
“Obviously Virat Kohli scoring run is a huge bonus for the team, the way he played today I know he is very very pleased with the way he batted today — he has been working on his game for the last 2-3 series and that worked beautifully today and as a team, it is important that every player before going to the World Cup get some time in the middle.
“If you play 2-3 innings like that, your confidence will be high then it gives you the best chance to be our best selves in the World Cup, so really happy that he could play that way,” added Rahul.
Virat Kohli: ‘What surprised me was my 60s became failures… doesn’t seem to be enough’
Defending champions India bowed out of the tournament following back-to-back defeats to Pakistan and Sri Lanka — both games going down to the penultimate ball of the match — and their 101-run win over Afghanistan on Thursday ensured they avoid a bottom-placed finish in the Super 4s.
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