ICC Awards: Virat Kohli to Lead ICC ODI Team of the Year; Two Other Indians on the List Too

Virat Kohli has been named as the captain of the International Cricket Council (ICC) One-Day International team of the year 2017 after his impressive outing as a skipper across all formats last year.

The 29-year old was handed the captaincy of the limited-overs side last year and he totally justified the decision by leading the team to greater heights. Kohli has been also named both cricketer and captain of the year. He also regained a trophy he had won for the first time in 2012, as he was named ODI player of the year as well.

Coming to the ODI team of the year, India has three representatives in the side – more than any other country- with two apiece from South Africa, Pakistan and one apiece from Australia, England, New Zealand and Afghanistan. Apart from Kohli, the other two Indians in the team are opening batsman Rohit Sharma and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.

Rohit, who became the first batsman in the history of ODI cricket to score three double-centuries in December, will be opening the innings with Australia’s David Warner. They will be followed by Virat Kohli who has also been crowned as the ODI Cricketer of the Year 2017. The India captain, who is yet to lose a series as an ODI captain, scored a staggering 1,460 runs in 2017 – the fourth-highest by any batsman in a calendar year.

The middle-order will be taken care by Pakistan’s Babar Azam and South Africa duo Quinton de Kock and AB de Villiers. England’s Ben Stokes has been selected in the team as the all-rounder after he finished the qualification period with most runs and most wickets.

Pakistan’s Hasan Ali, who finished the Champions Trophy, as the highest wicket-taker, New Zealand’s Trent Boult and Bumrah will take care of the pace department while Afghanistan’s spin sensation Rashid Khan has been selected as the sole specialist spinner.

Here is the ODI Team of the Year 2017: