3 players who endured a long century drought ft. Virat Kohli
After a long wait of nearly three years, Virat Kohli ended his century drought with a blistering display against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup 2022 on Thursday, September 8. The former Indian skipper managed to get the monkey off his back as he stormed his way to an unbeaten 122 off 61 deliveries, his first in T20Is.
What stood out in Kohli's sensational blitz was his comfort against spin – something that has come under the scanner for a considerable amount of time now. However, against a world-class spin troika of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi, he looked a class apart.
Kohli also crossed the milestone of 24,000 international runs in the process. His form in the Asia Cup is pointing towards the start of potentially another peak in what has been a stellar career.
The moment! 😍🔥
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With the century drought finally out of the way, the Indian team will be hoping that the big milestones continue to come Kohli's way. That said, it's not an unfamiliar sight to see great players struggle to breach the hundred-run barrier for a considerable period of time.
Let's take a look at three players other than Kohli who have endured a century drought.
#3 Sachin Tendulkar
#OnThisDay in 1994, Sachin Tendulkar scored his maiden ODI ton 💯
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Before Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar was the man synonymous with scoring hundreds for fun. He didn't take much time to score his first Test ton, doing so at the tender age of 17 to help India salvage a draw against England at Old Trafford in 1990.
However, the Master Blaster took as many as 79 matches to breach the three-figure mark in ODIs. Today (September 9) happens to be the 28th anniversary of the same, with Tendulkar stroking a 130-ball 110 against Sri Lanka in Colombo, paving the way for a 31-run victory for India.
Even the great Tendulkar took close to five years since his ODI debut to score his first century. The rest, as they say, is history, with the man adding 48 more centuries to his name in the 50-over format.
#2 Adam Parore
New Zealand wicketkeeper Adam Parore was a mainstay in the Kiwi setup for a good part of the 1990s and early noughties. He represented them in 78 Tests and 179 ODIs before hanging up his boots in 2002.
Parore holds the record for the longest gap between two centuries scored (in terms of matches played) in Test cricket. His first ton came in a rain-affected Christchurch Test against the West Indies in 1995. He bagged the Player of the Match award for that.
However, he had to wait another 57 Tests before scoring his second and final hundred in the format, which came against Australia in Perth 2001.
#1 Andy Flower
Legendary Zimbabwean wicketkeeper-batter Andy Flower holds the record for the longest gap between two ODI centuries in terms of matches as well as time.
His first hundred came at the 1992 World Cup before having to wait more than eight years and 148 games in the format for his second in the 2000 Champions Trophy.
Interestingly enough, the centuries came in losing causes against Sri Lanka, even as Flower bagged the Player of the Match award in both cases.
(Stats as per ESPNCricinfo)
Also read: 3 reasons why Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are a better opening combination in T20Is