Virat brings home comfort back into the change room

Virat Kohli jumped with joy, punched the air and yelled out loud to celebrate his hundred in Ranchi in the first ODI against South Africa on Sunday.

- Rasesh Mandani

A batter with more ODI tons than anyone else to have played the game, still had the same intense emotions while getting to his 52nd. It signalled the star batter's burning desire towards his future ambitions.

This hundred took nine months coming, but only because this is the sole format he now plays. Otherwise, it had been only seven ODIs since his century against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy; that's close to his phenomenal career record of getting to an ODI ton every six matches.

It is the months of inactivity that have kept Kohli in the news since his Test retirement. There has been constant chatter around Kohli's changed world, since the former captain cut his international workload by two thirds. It's been a rough life, if you went by the news.

When Kohli kissed the pendant around his neck, shared love with the crowd, folded hands to the skies to cap his hundred celebrations, it showed he wasn't untouched by the noise. One could feel his sense of accomplishment and relief in equal measure.