On Sunday (March 12), Virat Kohli finally scored his long-awaited Test century. The 34-year-old former Indian captain took three years, three months and 17 days for his 28th century in Test cricket. Kohli reached to three-figure-mark during the post-lunch session on Day 4 of the fourth Test against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
After facing 241 balls, Kohli completed his century by picking up a single off Nathan Lyon, who had just taken the wicket of KS Bharat. When he reached his century, Kohli celebrated with a mix of relief and joy. He even kissed his wedding ring, which he wore on his neck, as a tribute to his wife Anushka Sharma.
The Man. The Celebration.
Take a bow, @imVkohli 💯🫡#INDvAUS #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/QrL8qbj6s9
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 12, 2023
Although Kohli scored his 27th Test century in November 2019, during India’s first Day-Night Test against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, he had to wait for an extended period to score his next century in the purest form of cricket. Kohli ended his 13-month wait for a fifty in Test cricket the day before the century. After scoring a fifty in the Cape Town Test against South Africa in January 2022, the Delhi-born cricketer went 15 innings without a score of fifty-plus in red and pink-ball cricket.
In the ongoing Test, Kohli managed to score 186 runs in 364 balls (15×4) before getting out. He gave India a 91-run lead in the first innings. Injured Shreyas Iyer didn’t came out to bat, while Axar Patel – who was promoted in the batting order – contributed with a counter-attacking 79 from 113 balls (5×4, 4×6) in a 162-run partnership with Kohli.
In the meantime, Kohli’s wife has revealed that her husband played through sickness in the Ahmedabad Test.
She took to Instagram and shared a story as soon as Virat ended his three-year-drought of registering a century in the longest format of the game.
“Playing through sickness with this composure. Inspiring me alaways,” wrote Anushka with a heart emoji.
