It had to be at some point, right? But not many expected it to happen in a dead rubber against Afghanistan on a non-Sunday with only a few thousand fans in the stadium. Well, Virat Kohli will nonetheless take it – his 71st international century, for which he and his zillions of fans have waited for 1020 days and 81 international innings; his maiden T20I century, after making his T20I debut back in 2010.
The 71st-century drought is finally over. Everyone can take a sigh of relief. No, not now. Because now it’s time for fans – including current and ex-cricketers – to jump the bandwagon on social media and hail the one and only King – KING VIRAT KOHLI.
As soon as Virat Kohli pulled Fareed Ahmad for a six in the 19th over of India’s innings, thereby reaching the milestone, wishes and tributes started to pour in on social media from fans around the world, congratulating, and applauding the return to the form of Virat Kohli.
Best tweets from Pakistani cricketers on Virat Kohli
What many were also surprised to see a number of current and former Pakistani cricketers tweeting and sharing their excitement on Kohli’s hundreds; some even labelled him as the greatest, the GOAT, the best!
Here are 5 best tweets from Pakistani cricketers sharing their love from across the border for Virat Kohli:
Former Pakistani pacer Mohammad Amir, who has had some epic battles with Kohli in the past, was as ecstatic as any fan could be for the end of the lack of century by Kohli.
“so finally wait is over great [100] by king kohli,” tweeted Mohammad Amir.
so finally wait is over great 💯 by king kohli
— Mohammad Amir (@iamamirofficial) September 8, 2022
Former wicket-keeper batsman Kamran Akmal dished out the cliche, but the apt one suiting Kohli’s class. “Real King” Kamran said (a dig on Babar Azam then?)
“Form is temporary…Class is permanent. Always love watching @imVkohli playing..what a brilliant you are a real king,” Kamran Akmal tweeted.
Form is temporary…Class is permanent. Always love watching @imVkohli playing..what a brilliant 💯 you are a real king 👍
— Kamran Akmal (@KamiAkmal23) September 8, 2022
Left-arm Pakistani pacer Rumman Raees reckoned this century is a daunting message from Kohli to the world.
“The 71st is finally here, long wait but worth it. What composed and powerful innings and statement from Virat Kohli. Maza aagaya!” Rumman Raees tweeted.
The 71st is finally here, long wait but worth it. What composed and powerful innings and statement from Virat Kohli. Maza aagaya! #INDvsAFG #asiacup2022 @imVkohli pic.twitter.com/4MQWG0zg00
— Rumman Raees (@rummanraees15) September 8, 2022
Hasan Ali, who is part of Pakistan’s Asia Cup team, had just one line for Virat Kohli:
“The great is back @imVkohli,” Hasan Ali said.
The great is back @imVkohli
— Hassan Ali 🇵🇰 (@RealHa55an) September 8, 2022
Left-handed spinning all-rounder Imad Wasim even eulogised Kohli as the best player in the world!
“The best player on the planet is back @imVkohli #GOAT,” Imad Wasim revered the King.
The best player on the planet is back @imVkohli #GOAT𓃵
— Imad Wasim (@simadwasim) September 8, 2022
Virat Kohli’s knock – 122* off 61 balls – helped India post 212, resulting in a massive victory by 101 runs.
Speaking in the post-match presentation, Kohli talked at length about the transformation in his “perspective” with the help of his wife, Anushka Sharma, crediting her for standing with him during his tough times. Virat Kohli was coming from a break of over a month, fresh and re-energized and ready to score runs. Score runs he did.
Virat Kohli said: “Firstly I am grateful for how the day went today. Time away from the game gave me a good chance to sit back and observe a lot of things about me. 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, vision moving forward and I came back into the system as a relaxed person. It was just about enjoying the game, understanding the game and what God blessed you with. Today was the build of the last few games, I batted out of my skin to be honest and I surprised myself. What surprised me was my 60s became failures; quite shocking for me, batting pretty well and contributing but doesn’t seem to be enough.”
