The India vs Afghanistan Super Four match in Dubai on September 8 may have been an insignificant one in the context of the Asia Cup as both the teams are out of contention for the final berth.
However, it assumes great significance for Virat Kohli and Team India. The 33-year-old former India captain scored his first century in T20Is – 122 not out in 61 balls with a dozen fours and half-a-dozen sixes – as India posted their eighth highest score in this format. More importantly, it was his 71st international century, breaking his international century drought that went on for 1,020 days since his 136 on the second day of the day-night Test against Bangladesh in Kolkata (November 23, 2019).
Kohli also posted the first century of this year’s Asia Cup, coming in the 11th match of the tournament. Kohli joined Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, Deepak Hooda, and Suresh Raina to become the sixth Indian to score a T20I hundred. His was also the 10th T20I by an Indian. Though some of them scored centuries early in their T20I career, Kohli’s first came in his 96th innings and 104th match. Better late than never.
Having found his form in this tournament, scoring two fifties and a one 35, all at No. 3, Kohli’s form is an encouraging sign for India as they hit the final stretch in their preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup to begin in five-and-a-half weeks in Australia.
Not many realised that Kohli has scored the most runs in this Asia Cup – 276 at an average of 92.00. India’s inability to qualify for the final overshadowed Kohli’s form. His batting is one positive that India can take out of this Asia Cup.
India made three changes to their side, resting regular skipper Rohit Sharma – KL Rahul led the side for the first time in T20Is, Hardik Pandya and Yuzvendra Chahal. Kohli, who had taken a month’s break from international cricket after a disappointing tour of England in July, was fresh enough to not take a break.
He needed runs behind him to take the confidence into the World Cup. It does not matter if Kohli’s maiden T20I hundred came in his ninth innings as an opener – he opened in place of Rohit. All that matters is runs from Kohli and spending maximum time in the middle.
Kohli said after his half-century against Pakistan last Sunday that the break was badly needed for him to be in a happy space.
He said: “I didn’t think I’d go a month without touching my bat, but the situation became such that I had to take a break, more mentally than physically. Then you realise when you bat again after a month why you started playing the game. That realisation is lost at times, the way people look at you, cheer for you when you’re at the ground, at such times you can lose that realisation. That drive and purity for the game, that joy dissipates.
“It was important for me to rediscover that again. When I’m happy in my space, then I know what I can do for the team. Me being in a bad space is neither good for the team nor for me. I think no one should run away from this. If someone is feeling negative or low, taking a break isn’t a bad thing. And I hope people will derive strength from that and address whatever they’re feeling. We’re all human. Everyone can feel this way. But to recognise that and care about it is important. If you ignore it, you will get more frustrated. This is something I realised and I got a lot of help. I’m happy, I’m excited and having fun playing cricket again, which was the most important thing for me.”
Kohli having fun is what Indian cricket wanted badly now. A lot was said about his inability to score runs in England and some of the experts said that he took a break from the game, which he did. It was felt that Kohli stopped playing T20Is to focus on Tests and ODI as there was little left for him to achieve in this shortest format, especially after he stepped down from T20I captaincy after India failed to qualify for the semifinal in ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE last year.
But the burning desire to excel for the country every time he wore the India jersey and went out to bat has not diminished. After three good knocks, the most authoritative being against Pakistan last Saturday, he fell for a fourth-ball duck against Sri Lanka in a must-win game last Tuesday. There was no better way to bounce back than score a brilliant century.
He was lucky to be dropped on 28, when he smashed off-spinner Md Nabi to deep mid-wicket where Ibrahim Zadran failed to hold on to a head-high offering and the ball scaled over the boundary for a six. But for this glitch, he was unstoppable throughout his innings.
Anything around his legs were flicked, picking the gaps on the on-side while he also executed the cut shot with penchant. And the handful of spectators who were present were treated to some trademark Kohli cover drives and stepping out to the spinners for sixes.
He shared 119 for the opening wicket with his skipper Rahul, who helped himself to a stroke-filled 62 off 41 balls. Kohli watched No. 3 Suryakumar Yadav scoop the first ball he faced for a six before playing left-armer Fareed Ahmed Malik on to his stumps.
Kohli, who was 56 when No. 4 Rishabh Pant joined him in the middle after 13 overs, dominated the Afghanistan bowling, which only less than 24 hours earlier took nine Pakistan wickets while defending 129 in Sharjah, only to go down in the last over.
So quick did Kohli race to his century, which came in 53 balls, that India scored 87 in the last seven overs, the centurion’s contribution being 66 while Pant’s was only 20.
It is only ironic that Kohli’s first T20I hundred came in the last, inconsequential match of the Asia Cup. But, it will go a long way in not only lifting his confidence but also India’s in the crucial weeks ahead.
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