"Virat Kohli dancing again! What a lovely sight" - AB de Villiers leads the party as former Indian skipper scores his 71st international century

Virat Kohli roared back in style to end his century drought in India's final Super 4 clash against Afghanistan in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 in Dubai on Thursday, September 8.

Kohli, who last scored an international century way back in 2019, showed glimpses of returning to form in the continental tournament. Barring the game against Sri Lanka, the right-handed batter played some decent knocks, including a couple of fifties.

It all culminated on Thursday as the ace batter walked out to open the innings alongside KL Rahul, the stand-in skipper in the absence of Rohit Sharma. Kohli took some time to settle in. But once he got his eye in, there was no stopping him as he notched up his maiden T20I century.

The former Indian captain played some delightful shots all around the park to bring up his 71st international hundred, ending an almost three-year wait. Riding on his batting masterclass, India accumulated 78 runs in the last five overs to post a staggering total of 212/2 in their 20 overs.

Kohli remained unbeaten on 122 off 61 deliveries, his knock studded with 12 boundaries and six maximums. This is also his highest score in the shortest format, leapfrogging his 113-run knock against Punjab Kings (PBKS), while playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2016.

Meanwhile, fans went mad on social media as they eagerly awaited for this day to come. Many breathed a sigh of relief as Kohli peaked at the right time with one month to go for the T20 World Cup in Australia.

Here are some of the reactions:

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"I want to specially dedicate this hundred to her and our daughter Vamika" - Virat Kohli

Kohli, who had a broad smile on his face, looked relieved after reaching the three-figure mark. He has been through a lot during this period, with many urging the team management to drop him from the T20I side.

The talismanic run-scorer, who answered his critics in style, thanked his wife Anushka Sharma for standing by his side through thick and thin. He dedicated the knock to his wife and daughter. Speaking at the mid-innings break, he said:

"There was a lot of stuff going around. You can see all that is happening because of how one person has stood by me through thick and thin and that is Anushka. I want to specially dedicate this hundred to her and our daughter Vamika.

"When you have someone next to you, putting things into (the) right perspective, like Anushka has been by my side, it teaches you a lot of things."

At the time of writing, Afghanistan were nine for four within three overs, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar picking up all the wickets with the new ball.

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