Normality is back again for Virat Kohli. For a full 1,019 days, world cricket waited baited for Kohli’s next international century, spanning 83 innings across formats, and the former India captain finally ended the long wait on Thursday with a century in the format he least expected. With 12 boundaries and six maximums, Kohli scored a magnificent 122 off 61 as he not only scored his 71st international ton but it was also his first T20I hundred. And with a spectacular knock that has taken him back to the top of the run charts in Asia Cup 2022.
Virat Kohli has broken countless records and here are the list :-
•Kohli’s 71 centuries put him level with Australian legend Ricky Ponting on the list of most tons in international cricket. He now stands only behind Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of 100 centuries.
• 522 innings took Kohli to reach the 71-ton mark across formats, the fastest cricketer in the world. He finished just an innings better than Sachin’s score (523).
•24,000 runs in international cricket was the milestone Kohli reached en route to his knock in Dubai on Thursday and the star batsman became the fastest cricketer to achieve the feat in his 522nd innings. He broke Sachin’s record of 543 innings. The only other Indian batsman to achieve this feat was Rahul Dravid.
•6 centuries for Kohli in T20 cricket, who is now the joint-highest run-getter in Indian cricket in the format, taking him alongside Indian captain Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul. It is also the highest by an Asian batsman, with Pakistan captain Babar Azam also having six such scores. Overall, he is fourth on the list, headed by Chris Gayle’s magnificent tally of 22 hundreds.
•4 Kohli is now the fourth Indian batsman after Suresh Raina, Rohit and Rahul to smash a century across formats. Overall, he is the sixth Indian batsman after Rohit, Rahul, Raina, Suryakumar Yadav and Deepak Hooda to reach the three-figure mark in T20I cricket.
•122 is now the highest score by an Indian batter in T20I cricket, surpassing Rohit’s 118 against Sri Lanka. The unbeaten knock is also the highest T20I score in any match held in the UAE.
• 3,500 T20I runs were completed by Kohli during his knock as the 33-year-old became the second batsman after Rohit to reach the mark and also the fastest to complete the milestone in only his 96th innings in T20I cricket.
• 1042 runs is the number Kohli owns in Asia Cup history, which is now the most by an Indian batsman, surpassing Rohit. Overall, he is third on the list behind the Sri Lankan duo of Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara.