Virat Kohli wins ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year 2023 award

Former Indian skipper Virat Kohli won the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year award for 2023. Virat Kohli had a memorable 2023 where he came back to form and scored centuries for fun. He also won the Player of the Tournament Award in the 2023 ODI World Cup. 

Kohli won the race against his fellow Indian cricketers Shubman Gill and Mohammed Shami to win the award for the fourth time. The former Indian skipper was in top form in the World Cup scoring the most runs ever in a single edition of the tournament (765). He edged out Gill who scored 1584 runs in 29 ODI matches in 2023. Pacer Shami picked up 43 wickets in just 19 matches in 2023 with 24 of them coming in just seven aes in the World Cup. 

Virat Kohli scored 1377 runs in 27 ODIs in 2023. He also took 12 catches and picked up a wicket which was in the World Cup. He scored six hundred and eight fifties this year. Three of those six centuries came in the World Cup. He scored his 50th ODI ton against New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final in Mumbai.

Also Read: Usman Khawaja beats Ravichandran Ashwin to win ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year 2023

Virat Kohli Scored His 50th ODI ton In 2023

This is the eighth time Kohli went past 1000 runs in the calendar year. A few of his most memorable knocks came in the World Cup. He started the year with two centuries against Sri Lanka when they played against India at home. Kohli then scored an unbeaten 122 against Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2023. 

He scored three centuries in the World Cup starting with his first ton against Bangladesh in Pune which was his 48th. His 49th ODI ton was against South Africa in the league match in Kolkata followed by the memorable 50th one against New Zealand in the semi-final in Mumbai. 

Kohli played two crucial knocks in Test cricket against South Africa. The first one was a 76 in the Centurion Test which unfortunately came in a losing cause. The second one was a crucial 46 in the Cape Town Test that India won and leveled the series against the Proteas. Kohli then skipped the first T20I against Afghanistan due to personal reasons. 

He has to pull out of the first two Tests against England due to personal reasons as well. The BCCI in a statement confirmed that Kohli communicated the message to the board officials and the captain. The BCCI requested the Indian fans to respect Kohli’s decision and his privacy. 

“Virat has spoken to Captain Rohit Sharma, the team management, and the selectors and has emphasized that while representing the country has always been his top priority, certain personal situations demand his presence and undivided attention,” BCCI said in a statement.

“The BCCI respects his decision and the Board and team management has extended its support to the star batter and is confident in the abilities of the remaining squad members to step up and deliver commendable performances in the Test series. “The BCCI requests the media and fans to respect Virat Kohli’s privacy during this time and refrain from speculating on the nature of his personal reasons” the BCCI statement further read. 

Rajat Patidar was named as Virat Kohli’s replacement but was not included in the playing XI for the first Test in Hyderabad. 

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