“It Is Three Years, Not Three Months”: Ex-India Batter On Virat Kohli’s Ton

Indian batter Virat Kohli finally got the hang of it when he registered his first international hundred after nearly a three-year hiatus. However, the barrel came in the size no one had thought of. Kohli registered his first T20I ton against Afghanistan on Thursday in the Super 4 clash of the ongoing Asia Cup. The batter’s celebration after bringing the milestone was proof that he himself was relieved to score a ton after such a long time. However, former Indian batter Gautam Gambhir has said that no one would have survived three years without scoring a hundred and it was Virat who survived because of the number of runs he has scored in the past.

“You have to realize it’s three years, not three months. Three years is a very long time. And I try not to be critical of him, but he deserved it, just because he’s had a lot of runs in the past. But I don’t think any of the younger batters would have survived in international cricket if they hadn’t gotten a hundred in the last three years,” Gambhir told Star Sports after the India-Afghanistan match.

“In the end it had to happen and it happened at the right time. You’re just approaching the T20 World Cup and he’s got a hundred, so he’s got the monkey off his back. But let’s be honest and absolutely honest, I don’t think anyone in the locker room would have survived three years without a hundred. People like Ashwin, Rahane, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul have been dropped. I don’t know a single man who hasn’t been dropped after not scoring a hundred in three years. It’s only Virat Kohli and he probably deserved it,” he added.

India captain Rohit Sharma chose to rest in their final Asia Cup Super 4 game against Afghanistan but Virat Kohli, who opened the at bat in his absence, crushed his 71st international century and his first in T20Is.

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Kohli went on to go on to an unbeaten 122 from 61 deliveries as India headed for a 101 point win in Dubai.

While Kohli had 27 Test centuries and 43 ODIs, he had never scored a T20I ton before Thursday.