Thank you very much, Virat! India will sleep well tonight

After 1021 days of searching, the soul has finally found its body. That smile, largely incorporating relief with a touch of redemption, was spread all over Virat Kohli's face after he registered his 71st ton in international cricket in Dubai on Thursday. Afghanistan was the opponent, but this special ton, which also happened to be his first T20I century, will live on in the hearts of millions of fans.

Virat completed his first international century since November 2019 after hitting a six off a short-length ball from Afghanistan pacer Fareed Ahmad. Virat's reaction after reaching a hundred was nowhere near what it used to be in his younger days . There was no fist pumping or cursing of the opposing player, but the celebration was one of gratitude, elation, and surprise, given that the ton arrived in an unexpected format.

"I feel very blessed, very grateful right now. The last two and a half years have taught me a lot. I'm going to turn 34 in November, so celebrations [on getting to landmarks] are all [a thing of] the past. I was a bit shocked because this was the format I least expected a century to come in any time soon, but it's all God's blessings." Kohli said in the mid-innings break.

(Photo credit: ESPNcricinfo)

Because Indian cricket fans are so obsessed with a single player's records and milestones, his every failure stings them deeply. Fans couldn't take Virat, who was once smashing hundreds for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, a draught, and that for over a thousand days. To put things into perspective, Kohli reached three figures after 83 innings across formats over the last 34 months. That's huge by any standard, because, according to fans, if Kohli could score hundreds of runs at will at one point in his career, what changed?

The answer could be that Virat Kohli was taken in by his own deception. Because there was no one else in the race when he was out in the middle, he found himself competing with himself. After a few failures, fans became impatient, and when the draught lasted more than a year, the country's statistics-obsessed fans turned into critics, and the weight of expectations may have begun to weigh on the champion batsman.

The failures became so myriad that many critics, who were once among Virat Kohli's most ardent supporters, couldn't see his meaningful contribution in a team's scorecard if it wasn't a hundred. More than Kohli, fans began to dismiss the former Indian captain's contribution as meaningless if it did not include a three-figure score. What could be more ridiculous than that?

"What actually surprised me was my 60s became failures, which was very shocking for me. I was batting pretty well and contributing, but it didn't seem to be good enough." Kohli said in the post-match presentation.

To put things in perspective, the last time Kohli scored a century before the Afghanistan game was against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens in November 2019. Despite the fact that his hundreds dried up, his numbers, particularly in white-ball cricket, were more than adequate when compared to a very good cricketer at his peak.

Kohli across formats since November 26, 2019

• Tests: 18, Innings: 32, Runs: 872, HS: 79, Avg: 27.25, 100s/50s: 00/06
• ODIs: 23, Innings: 23, Runs: 824, HS: 89, Avg: 35.82, 100s/50s: 00/10
• T20Is: 32, Innings: 29, Runs: 1134, HS: 122*, Avg: 56.70, 100s/50s: 01/10

The numbers in Test cricket have certainly suffered, but Kohli's bat has been scoring runs at a rapid pace in white-ball cricket, with 20 half-centuries and one century in the last 34 months. To many people's surprise, he has outperformed all expectations in the T20 format, where he has over 1100 runs and an average above 56. The statistics clearly show that Kohli was not completely out of shape, but was looking to reclaim his lost mojo.

In such a case, a batsman can either walk away from the game, knowing that he has literally accomplished everything in the game, or he can work hard on his game, remain patient, and let his bat do all the talking. Kohli chose the second option to achieve that positive mindset, and his wife Anushka played a key role in making that happen.

Kohli dedicates the 71st ton to Anushka and Vamika

(Photo credit: Twitter/@BCCI)

Soon after his century in Dubai, Kohli kissed the wedding ring around his neck to express his gratitude to his wife, Anushka Sharma, the only person who believed in him when the rest of the world had given up on him. The 33-year-old proudly mentioned his wife's contribution to getting him in the right mindset, not just today, but when things were really tough for him, both on and off the cricket field.

"I mentioned one special person - Anushka - who stood by me through these tough times and I mentioned her as she has seen the absolute raw side of me throughout all these months. She was the one putting things in perspective for me, kept giving me the right kind of guidance, right kind of vision moving forward and I came back into the system a very relaxed person." Kohli praised Anushka during the post-match presentation.

The right-handed batter also dedicated his century to his wife Anushka and their young daughter Vamika, who kept him grounded and encouraged him to fight until the end.

(Photo credit: Twitter/@aparna_rangar)

Before the start of the Asia Cup, Kohli admitted that he was trying to fake his intensity, and that a six-week break following the England tour allowed him to put things into perspective and figure out what he needed to do to be the best version of himself and once again be an asset to Team India.

"Six weeks off,?I was refreshed, I understood after taking a break how tired actually I was mentally and physically. Your competitiveness doesn't allow you to take that call, but I think it was a blessing in disguise for me. I wanted to be the best version of myself for the team, and when I came here, when I started playing in the nets, I felt like my old rhythm was coming back. It was just about getting those performances in the middle again." Kohli said during the mid-innings break.

Is Virat Kohli back to his very best?

(Photo credit: Twitter/@kkr)

Statistically, the answer is yes. Virat Kohli led the tournament in run-scoring with 276 runs from five innings, including a century and two half-centuries against Afghanistan. The only game in which Kohli did not score was against Sri Lanka, where he also failed to get off to a good start.

Kohli had an outstanding tournament, but his innings against Afghanistan were far from his best. Afghanistan's bowling unit was exhausted, especially after the high-intensity game against Pakistan in Sharjah just 24 hours before. Kohli was riding his luck as Afghan fielders dropped his catch as well, but that didn't stop a determined Kohli from making the most of his opportunities.

With better quality opposition and a stronger bowling lineup, Kohli will be put to the test once more, especially when he returns to the middle order and India is attempting to set a big total or chase down a massive score. Kohli has yet to demonstrate his mettle in leading India past the winning line in a power-hitting contest in a must-win game. The ICC tournaments have also been unkind to King Kohli, and the great batsman would like to set the record straight in a month, and that too in a format where India last won the title in 2007 when he wasn't even on the squad.

The irony of cricket is that one innings for either a bowler or a batsman is enough to restore confidence. In Kohli's case, confidence was never an issue; it was more about whether he fits into the format based on the needs and requirements of the team. With the rise of Surya Kumar Yadav , India had the option of elevating him to the number three spot, which Kohli has held for the past 14 years.

Kohli has effectively ended the debate for the time being, but the real challenge for the 33-year-old will be to maintain his form at least until the T20 World Cup in Australia. The game's shortest format is as unpredictable as it gets, and a bad run of form could be just around the corner. After a long absence, it appears that Kohli has rediscovered his form, and the great man would like to capitalize on this and help India go the distance in Australia.

Today, Kohli's hundred was good enough to send the cricket fraternity, fans, and media into a frenzy, despite the fact that it came against a weak opponent and in a meaningless game.

One can only hope that the juggernaut does not come to a halt here. As Virat correctly stated, he has nothing to prove to anyone and is more concerned with enjoying the game. The more fun Virat Kohli has, the better for the champion batsman. After removing the monkey from his back by scoring his long-awaited 71st century, India can rest easy tonight.

Well done, King! Simply keep going.

Also Read : Should Virat Kohli quit T20Is for the sake of Team India?

(The author is an expert in cricket and has worked as a sports writer for broadcast and multimedia platforms for nearly a decade.)