Asia Cup 2022- Dubai:  Virat Kohli's debut T20I hundred, a sensational career-best 122 off just 61 balls, laced with 12 fours and 6 sixes, at a strike-rate of 200, and his 71st overall in international cricket, was crucial in India signing off from Asia Cup 2022 with a 101-run thrashing of Afghanistan.

After winning the Player of the Match award, Kohli has no qualms in acknowledging that his one and a half months of inactivity helped him return to the game with renewed energy. Since striking a century in India's first-ever pink-ball match against Bangladesh in Kolkata in November 2019, Kohli's unbeaten 122 against Afghanistan was his maiden century in international play.

"It was startling to me that my 60s turned into failures, which is what genuinely stunned me. Even though I was batting well and making a contribution, it didn't seem to be enough. But as I've already mentioned, God has given me a lot of excellent things in the past, which is why I'm in a position to talk about these things now. I have no problem saying that God is providing for everyone's future; all we need to do is work hard." "I therefore went back to the drawing board and returned inspired and fired up. Through these periods, the team management has also had excellent contact with me; they have maintained my perspective. There wasn't much information waiting for me when I got back; they basically said, "You bat and enjoy yourself." So all that remained was to return to the realm of enjoyment "Kohli replied.

Kohli surged spectacularly from 59 off 40 balls to get his next 63 runs off only 21 balls to register a long-standing 71st international century, surprise himself in the process. The opening stand was an exhilarating 119 off 76 balls, with stand-in captain KL Rahul making 65 of those runs. At 71 international centuries, Kohli is currently tied with former Australia captain Ricky Ponting for second-most all-time, behind Sachin Tendulkar of India, who has 100.

"It's just about appreciating the game, knowing what God has already given you with, and then just being humble and going out there and doing the grind all over again. In a very true sense, I wasn't trying to prove anything to anyone. I believe that today was merely a build-up to the previous few games; to be honest, I surprised myself by truly hitting out of my skin." "Many recommendations and pieces of advise have been given to me. People were telling me I was doing things incorrectly, so I chose all the videos from my greatest moments. It was just what was going on in my head that I couldn't explain to anyone, and it was the same initial movement and approach to the ball "said the right-hander in detail.

The actor-producer Anushka Sharma, Kohli's wife, was thanked for helping him get through his struggles and return to his best self. "First of all, I'm appreciative of how today's day went. Time away from the game gave me a good chance to sit back and observe a lot of things about me. Anushka is the one I specifically named since she supported me during these trying times and because she has witnessed my most vulnerable side over the course of these months." "She was the one who helped me put things into perspective and maintained providing me with the correct kind of direction and future vision, so I returned to the system feeling extremely at ease. People will have their opinions, but at the end of the day, you as an individual know where you stand and what you need to do to advance." "But they are unable to experience what you are. It has been a very wonderful moment in my life, and I have felt considerably differently throughout the past few months. I'm very thankful for that moment since it forced me to adjust my viewpoint in order to advance in my cricket career."