India’s Virat Kohli has ended a three-year wait for his 28th century by scoring 186 in the fourth Test against Australia.
indian cricketer virat kohli he has ended a three-year wait for a century by scoring 186 runs in the first innings for India in their fourth test match against Australia.
The hosts finished their first innings on 571 to surpass Australia’s 480 and take a first-innings lead of 91 at the world’s largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Kohli was the last man out after losing to Todd Murphy in the final session of play as India lost their ninth wicket and Shreyas Iyer sat out batting with back pain.
Australia got to three without a loss with Travis Head getting the runs while batting alongside nightwatchman Matthew Kuhnemann.
Kohli ruled the day with his 28th Test ton, which he singled off Nathan Lyon in the second session as the fans went wild with celebration.
The long wait is finally over for Virat Kohli 🔥#WTC23 | #INDVAU | 📝 https://t.co/VJoLfVSeIF pic.twitter.com/JGZcVsHvHj
-ICC (@ICC) March 12, 2023
Appearing to cry, the 34-year-old acknowledged the crowd and the dressing room before kissing the locket on its gold chain as he smiled and looked up at the sky.
The former India captain now has 75 international tons in three international formats.
‘Kohli King’
Nicknamed “King Kohli” by his fans, the player is one of the biggest names in cricket. He admitted last year to mental health struggles since his magic with the bat left him. He also lost the Indian captaincy, one of the highest-pressure jobs in world sport.
“A 600-kilo gorilla fell off. He will grow a couple of inches tonight,” shouted commentator and former India coach Ravi Shastri.
Fiery and unstoppable! Congratulations to the king of chase. @imvkohli in another century! 💯🔥 Continue to lead by example and make the nation proud.#IndVsAus2023 pic.twitter.com/Hs0bBOwUYg
— Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) March 12, 2023
Australia’s alternate captain Steve Smith clapped on the ground, and a banner in the crowd read “Here to see King Kohli rule his kingdom”, as children in India jerseys bowed in respect.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan tweeted: “Good to see @imVkohli again scoring a Test ton…Love watching him bat…Over 3 years since his last…I guess some might show up now “.
it’s good to see @imvkohli He scored a test ton again.. I love watching him bat.. Over 3 years since his last.. Guess some might show up now.. #INDVAU #Kohli #100
—Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) March 12, 2023
Kohli had a tough 2021 and 2022, failing to break triple figures in more than 1,000 days.
He resigned as Twenty20 skipper at the end of 2021 and in January 2022 he was sacked from the one-day captaincy and resigned to lead Test sidealso.
But he hit his first ton after 1,020 days at the Asia Cup T20 tournament in September last year and hasn’t looked back since.
Kohli finished the T20 World Cup in Australia last year as the top run-scorer and then hit three ODI centuries, including two, 113 and 166, against Sri Lanka in January.
The New Delhi-born star is rated as one of the best batsmen of his generation in world cricket, having a Test average of over 48 in 108 matches since making his debut in 2011.
Kohli now ranks fourth among all-time Test-Makers of the Century for India behind Sachin Tendulkar (51), Rahul Dravid (36) and Sunil Gavaskar (34).
Kohli had spoken about his mental health issues during his dry phase, including how he had been “quick” to his wife, Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma, with whom he has a young daughter.
To think that people didn’t back down @imvkohli. What a fool!
GOAT 🐐—Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) March 12, 2023
Pundits, including former World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev, even suggested that Kohli should be dropped during his lean phase last year.
The former top-ranked batsman revealed during the 2022 Asian Cup that only Mahendra Singh Dhoni sent him messages of support during a tough mental wrestling phase after stepping down as Test captaincy.
When the match resumes on the fifth day, India will need a win to clinch the series and secure a place in the World Test Championship final in June.
