Others wouldn't have survived: Gautam Gambhir on Virat Kohli being in Indian team for 3 years without a ton

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir believes no one would have survived for three years in the Indian crickt team without a century in international cricket. Gambhir believes Kohli got a long rope despite not scoring a hundred for over 1,000 days but no other batter would have earned that luxury.

Kohli, who brought an end to his long-standing century drought on Thursday, had scored his last ton for India in November 2019. He went without scoring a century for a staggering 1020 days between November 2019 to September 2022 before finnaly ending the drought with a stunning 122-run knock against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup 2022 earlier this week.

Kohli's lean patch with the willow saw him face crictisim from all corners in the build up to the Asia Cup with many also questioining his spot in the India's T20I squad. However, he had the continuous backing of the team management despite not delivering consistently.

"You have to realise that it is three years, not three months. Three years is a very long time. And I'm not trying to be critical of him, but he has earned that just because he has got loads of runs in the past. But I don't think so that any of the younger batters would have survived in international cricket had they not got a hundred in last three years," Gambhir said on Star Sports.

The former India opener cited the example of the likes of current skipper Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and R Ashwin among others who have all been droped under Kohli's captaincy in the past for not performing consistently. Gambhir believes only Kohli could have survived without a century for three years as he has earned that cushion with his past performances.

"Eventually it had to happen and it happened at the right time as well. You are just approaching the T20 World Cup and he's got a hundred so he has got the monkey off his back. But let's be fair and absolutely honest, I don't think any one in the dressing room would have survived three years without a hundred," said Gambhir.

People like Ashwin, Rahane, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul have been dropped. I don't know one guy who hasn't been dropped after not having scored a hundred in three years. It is only Virat Kohli and probably he has earned that," he added.

Kohli brought an end to a long wait for his 71st hundred in style with a magnificent knock against Afghanistan. He scored 122 off 61 balls laced with 12 fours and two sixes. It was Kohli's maiden ton in T20Is as he registered the highest score by an Indian batter in the shortest format to power India to a 101-run victory in the game.