Virat Kohli Wins ICC Men's ODI Cricketer Of The Year Award 2023

image-lrt62vitVirat Kohli wins ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year award for the fourth time | Source: X.com

The Indian batting maverick, Virat Kohli has been crowned the ICC ODI Men's Cricketer of the Year 2023 on Thursday. He outfoxed teammates Shubman Gill and Mohammed Shami to secure the prestigious award for the ‘record’ fourth time. 

Having claimed this award previously in 2012, 2017, and 2018, Kohli is now a four-time winner and a nominee for the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2023, making history as the first cricketer to achieve such a feat, surpassing the South African legend AB de Villiers' three awards. 

Kohli staged a memorable comeback in 2023, accumulating a staggering 2,048 runs across 36 international innings. He was the highest run-scorer in ICC ODI World Cup 2023, which saw him earn him the 'Player of the Tournament' award. 

In 2023, the Indian batting giant smashed eight centuries, one more than the top run-scorer Shubman Gill. Kohli and Gill stood alone in breaching the 2,000-run mark in international cricket, where Gill dominated ODIs with a solid 1584 runs. 

Kohli had an outstanding run in 50-over cricket, racking up 1377 runs in 24 innings, including six centuries and eight fifties. Not only this, he also has a wicket to his name this year, which he took against Bangladesh in the ODI World Cup 2023. 

Kohli, who not only shattered Sachin Tendulkar's record for most ODI hundreds during the World Cup but also became the first to hit 50 centuries in 50-over cricket, also played his part on the field, grabbing 12 catches in 27 matches. 

Virat Kohli, initially part of the five-match Test series against England in India, withdrew from the first two matches due to a personal emergency. He appealed to fans to refrain from speculating about the reasons behind his decision.