During an interview for Puma’s ‘Let There Be Sport’ program, former Indian captain Virat Kohli shared his thoughts on the momentous occasion of scoring his 71st century against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup 2022, breaking a dry spell that had lasted for over 1000 days.
Reflecting on the specific moment when he reached the milestone, Kohli recounted the thoughts that ran through his mind. As he approached 94 runs, he sensed the possibility of reaching the century, and on the very next ball, he hit a six. When he finally achieved the feat, a sense of immense joy overcame him, leading to laughter. Kohli humorously questioned himself, wondering if he had been lamenting over this for two years.
However, the euphoria of the moment was fleeting, lasting only a few seconds, before reality set in. Kohli realized that life would move on, and the next day would bring a new set of challenges. He acknowledged that scoring the century did not mean he would relish that moment for the rest of his life. This realization struck him as incredibly amusing, causing him to burst into laughter once again.
Kohli candidly admitted that tears did flow, but not in that immediate moment. He shared that he had shed tears while discussing the achievement with his wife, Anushka Sharma.
The topic shifted to Kohli’s aspirations to surpass Sachin Tendulkar’s record of the most centuries in One Day International (ODI) cricket, which he described as an “emotional moment.” Tendulkar, known as the ‘Little Master,’ amassed 49 centuries in 452 innings, whereas Kohli already has 46 centuries in 265 innings in the ODI format.
It is worth noting that Kohli has registered an impressive tally of 75 centuries across all formats of international cricket during his illustrious 15-year career, including 46 in ODIs, 28 in Tests, and one in T20Is. Additionally, he holds the distinction of being the fastest player to reach 12,000 ODI runs, achieving the milestone in just 242 innings, surpassing Tendulkar’s previous record of 300 innings.
