From desperation to winning-it-all: Virat’s white-ball journey since breaking 1,021-day century jinx at Dubai
ANI | Updated:Sep 08, 2026 19:51IST
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New Delhi [India], September 8 (ANI): Back on September 8, four years ago, an Asia Cup dead rubber between India and Afghanistan became one of the most happening and talked-about fixtures of the year as Indian batting icon Virat Kohli ended his century drought that lasted 1,021 days, bringing smiles across billions of faces and reaffirming his status as the ‘King’ of world cricket.
Prior to that booming flat hit that helped Virat reach his maiden T20I century, Virat’s last international century had come against Bangladesh in a day-night Test fixture at Kolkata in November 2019. From then on, while runs did not exactly dry up, Virat, ‘the run-making machine’, showed the world his human side, showing that even larger-than-life, superhero-like superstars like him could slow down a bit and have the laws of averages catching up with them.
His struggles against spin and outside off-stump deliveries resurfaced. While Virat still managed half-centuries consistently in white-ball cricket, it was not enough to satiate milestone-hungry, stat-geek fans. In Test cricket, after a long patch of dominance, he looked more vulnerable than ever, with glimpses of brilliance here and there.
60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and even some sublime-looking 30s and 40s were either edged into the slips or to the keeper or ended by spinners on India’s ultra spin-friendly pitches, curated with World Test Championship (WTC) points in mind.
The wait for the 71st century looked extremely frustrating and anxious for Virat and his fans, just when it seemed he would race to Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 international centuries in the early 2020s and end his international career by smashing all his idol’s records.
Between his 70th ton and the once-elusive 71st century, Virat scored 2,708 runs in 72 matches and 83 innings at an average of 36.1, with 26 fifties and a best score of 94*, averaging a fifty-plus score in every 3.19 innings. It was just 60 runs short of India’s leading run-getter in this time frame, Rohit Sharma (2,767 runs in 63 matches and 74 innings at an average of 40.1, with four centuries and 17 fifties). During this time period, Virat stood as the seventh-highest run-getter in the world, despite no century to his name.
However, as the phrase goes, ‘Heavy is the head that wears the crown’, the heaviness increased with each failed attempt. In a cricket-crazy nation that spared no one, Virat had to face the music as well. Words of backing and encouragement from ex-cricketers slowly turned into full-fledged questioning if the ‘era of King Kohli’ was over. Headlines got sharper as some former cricketers called for him to sit out of the T20I squad leading upto Asia Cup 2022 and the T20 World Cup 2022.
The diverse vocabulary of former cricketers, mediapersons, his captain Rohit Sharma, and his teammates perhaps played on Virat’s mind as he took a month-long break from cricket leading up to the Asia Cup starting in August that month.
In an interview with Star Sports, Virat admitted to “faking his intensity” and “feeling mentally down”, which caused him to take a break during which “he did not touch his bat for a month”.
“For the first time in 10 years, I did not touch my bat for a month. I came to the realisation that I was trying to fake my intensity a bit recently. I was convincing myself that no, you had the intensity. But your body was telling you to stop. The mind was telling me to take a break and step back,” the veteran had said to Star Sports leading upto the Asia Cup.
“I am not shy to admit that I was feeling mentally down. This is a very normal thing to feel, but we don’t speak because we are hesitant. We don’t want to be looked at as mentally weak. Trust me, faking to be strong is far worse than admitting to being weak,” he said.
“I am looked at as a guy who is mentally very strong, and I am. But everyone has a limit, and you need to recognise that limit; otherwise, things can get unhealthy for you. This period taught me a lot of things that I wasn’t allowed to bring to the surface. When they eventually came up, I embraced them,” he added.
A month-long break from the game paid off. In the first four games, he posted encouraging scores of 35, 59*, 60 and 0. However, his side was out of the Asia Cup after close clashes with Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The Afghanistan clash had reduced significance till Virat Kohli turned up to open in the absence of a resting Rohit, with KL Rahul taking the captaincy armband.
What followed was some of the most free-flowing cricket Virat had played in months, smashing Afghanistan bowlers everywhere and ensuring that each stand got the feel of a cricket ball thumping on a seat. Eventually, brick by brick, Virat ended the 1,021-day century drought in a format where a century was expected the least. Virat reached the century in 53 balls and ended with 122* in 61 balls, with 12 fours and six sixes.
While India won that match, Team India concluded their Asia Cup campaign with something much bigger, with their best batter in the best possible headspace, with the monkey off his back following a scintillating century.
Since that century, while Virat’s Test numbers have left plenty to be desired, which led to a heartbreaking retirement from the format last year, his stature in limited-overs cricket grew tenfold.
Here are the statistics, major trophies/records/accomplishments won by Virat since that 71st century:
-Virat Kohli in ODIs since his 71st international century: 2,597 runs in 52 matches and 49 innings (eight not-outs) at an average of 63.34, including 11 centuries and 15 fifties. (second-highest ODI run-getter in the world, with most centuries from September 8, 2022 onwards).
-Virat Kohli in T20s since his 71st international century: 3,316 runs in 81 matches (16- not outs) and innings at an average of 51.01 and a strike rate of 146.53, including four centuries and 30 fifties.
-The superstar batter’s overall numbers across white-ball cricket have been: 5,913 runs in 133 matches and 130 innings at an average of 55,78, including 15 centuries and 45 fifties.
*Individual/Team honours/accomplishments since 71st century:
-ICC T20 World Cup 2024 title
-‘Player of the Match’ for a match-winning 76 in the T20 WC 2024 final against South Africa
-A record-breaking 765-run ICC Cricket World Cup-winning campaign at home in 2023, which earned him the ‘Player of the Tournament’ honours.
-Surpassing Sachin Tendulkar for most centuries in ODI history, currently sitting at 54 ODI and 85 international tons.
-Breaking the 18-year-old IPL trophy drought with two back-to-back trophies for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
-Four successive IPL seasons with 600-plus runs each (the first batter to do so), including an Orange Cap-winning season in 2024, with 741 runs in 15 innings, including a century, five fifties at a strike rate of 154-plus and 38 sixes.
-‘Player of the Match’ in the IPL 2026 final with an unbeaten 75* against Gujarat Titans in a successful run-chase
-ICC Champions Trophy 2025 title win (including a century against Pakistan and 84 against Australia in the semifinal, earning him POTM honours)
-ICC ODI Player of the Year Award 2023 (making him the first and only cricketer with 10 ICC awards)
-Going from 24,000 to past 28,000 international runs (fastest to each landmark)
Fast forward to 2026, Virat is an ODI-exclusive superstar, batting like a man possessed in his bid to play the 2027 50-over World Cup and bring the cup back home after 16 years. This year in ODIs, he has scored 384 runs across six innings, including a century and three fifties, with a stunning average of 64.00.
From those desperate days of waiting for the 71st ton, to that iconic ‘Kiss the Ring’ celebration after belting Afghanistan, till now, Virat’s journey in the sport has been one of resilience, redemption, heartbreak and about winning. Could the legend produce one last push towards the WC 2027 title and perhaps the landmark of 100 centuries? (ANI)
Source: www.aninews.in
