Published By: Rohit Chatterjee

On This Day (Sep 8): Kohli Breaks Century Drought With a Stunning 122

Kohli was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 122 off 61 balls

On September 8, 2022, Virat Kohli finally ended his long wait for a century. It was his 71st international hundred and his first in T20Is. After 1,020 days without a century, Kohli broke his drought against Afghanistan in a Super 4 match of the Asia Cup in Dubai.

More relieved than overjoyed, Kohli delivered for India in what was a dead rubber, but it marked a triumphant return to form for the cricket star. India scored 212/2. Afghanistan managed 111/8, and India won the match by 101 runs.

Afghanistan's rough day

Given the chance to open in Rohit Sharma's absence, Kohli played a masterful innings. He accelerated smoothly from 10 off 10 to a half-century off 32 balls, then exploded to score 63 runs off his last 21 deliveries. Meanwhile, Bhuvneshwar Kumar's incredible spell of 4-1-4-5 dismantled Afghanistan.

Just a day after their tough loss to Pakistan, Afghanistan looked disoriented, dropping easy catches and struggling against Kohli's assault. Bhuvneshwar's clever mix of swing and slower balls left them helpless.

A lethargic start

The game started slowly enough for a dead rubber. Afghanistan was still hurting from their loss to Pakistan and India, having made three changes, and lacked the optimism to push hard.

 Following a few calm overs, KL Rahul started to pick up speed. Soon after, Virat Kohli quickly dispatched Mujeeb Ur Rahman, countering his spin with solid footwork and sweeps. Kohli immediately surpassed Rahul's score. A pivotal moment occurred in the eighth over when Ibrahim Zadran misread Kohli's pull shot from Mohammad Nabi, fumbling it over the boundary and giving Kohli a lifeline.

Mixed fortunes for India's middle order

KL tried to accelerate the scoring, following Kohli's lead with a fifty. He seemed set for his trademark late surge but mistimed a pull, leading to a catch at long-on. Suryakumar Yadav hit a six off his first ball but was bowled on the next delivery.

Rishabh Pant struggled to find his rhythm, but Kohli, now in the death overs, was just getting started. In T20 cricket, this was when Kohli became most dangerous, fresh, focused, and ready to explode. This phase was where he excelled once again.

A century to remember

Kohli then unleashed on Afghanistan. He charged at Rashid Khan, hitting a rare six off the spinner. The left-arm quicks, Fareed Ahmad and FazalhaqFarooqi, were dismantled next. Kohli's century came with a flat six, pulling a short-of-a-length delivery.

He kissed his wedding ring to acknowledge his wife, Anushka, who supported him through his century drought. In the final over, Kohli seemed unstoppable, pulling off a flick for six, a no-look pull for another six, and a stylish extra-cover drive for four.

Afghanistan's batting falls apart under Bhuvneshwar's pressure

Things quickly went from bad to worse for Afghanistan. Bhuvneshwar Kumar's fourth ball of the Afghan innings was a beauty. He pitched on a leg stump, swung away, and trapped HazratullahZazai plumb in front. Two balls later, a brilliant inswinger bowled Rahmanullah Gurbaz through the gate.

Bhuvneshwar repeated the outswinger-inswinger combo in his next over. Karim Janat edged to slip, and Najibullah Zadran was trapped right in front. Bowling four consecutive overs, he got AzmatullahOmarzai to chip a slower ball to short cover, completing his five-for and reducing Afghanistan to 21 for 6. Ibrahim Zadran managed a fifty, but it only delayed the inevitable.