India’s star batter Virat Kohli on Thursday was awarded the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year. The Indian batter was on song in 2023, playing some extraordinary innings and leading India’s charge in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
Kohli overcame stiff competition to defeat teammates Shubman Gill and Mohammed Shami to claim the prestigious award for the record fourth time.
Virat Kohli has already won the ODI Cricketer of the Year in 2012, 2017, and 2018 and is one of four nominees for ICC Cricketer’s of the Year award. He became the first cricketer ever to win the awardfour times, beating AB de Villiers’ record of three.
Kohli had an unforgettable 2023, scoring runs at ease and helping India win host of matches throughout the year. The former India captain averaged an astonishing 72.47 runs in the year, scoring 1377 runs in 27 matches. He smashed six tons and eight half-centuries in the year to leave other competitors such as Shubman Gill behind.
Kohli’s highlight of the year came in the ODI World Cup last year. Kohli grabbed the Man of the Tournament trophy despite India losing to Australia in the finals. Kohli scored 577 runs in the tournament. In 11 innings, Kohli scored 765 runs at an average 95.62 – the highest ever runs in a single edition of a World Cup.
After his heroics in the year, it was hard for ICC to look over Kohli to any other contenders. Indian cricket fans will certainly hope Kohli continues his dream run in 2024 too.
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