Rohit Sharma Denies Virat Kohli A Hat-trick, Named ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year

India’s star opener Rohit Sharma has been named as 2019 ODI Cricketer of the Year. The right-handed batsman became just the third Indian to win the prestigious award. The other two Indians to win the award are MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. Rohit Sharma also ended Virat Kohli’s stronghold on the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year award. The India captain had won the award in last two years.

MS Dhoni was the first Indian to win the award when he was bestowed with it in 2008. In the following year too, the former India skipper had bagged the gong for the best ODI player in the world. Virat Kohli then won it thrice – 2012, 2017 and 2018. As of now, only Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers have won the award on three occasions.

Also Read: David Warner Speaks On Jasprit Bumrah After Latter’s Poor Return To ODIs

Rohit Sharma had his best year in terms of statistics across formats especially in ODIs. He finished the year as the highest run-scorer in the 50-over format, scoring a staggering 1,490 runs in ODIs including seven hundreds – the most by any player in the calendar year. He was in phenomenal form during India’s run to the semifinals of the 2019 ODI World Cup, where he finished top-scorer with 648 runs. Rohit Sharma had also scored a record five centuries in the competition.

5️⃣ #CWC19 centuries
7️⃣ ODI centuries in 2019

Your 2019 ODI Cricketer of the Year is Rohit Sharma.#ICCAwards pic.twitter.com/JYAxBhJcNn

— ICC (@ICC) January 15, 2020

The Mumbai batsman had a revival in Test cricket too when he was promoted to the opening slot during the series against South Africa. He struck two hundreds in his maiden outing as a Test opener before adding a double century to his name in the Ranchi Test. Overall, his 2019 across formats reads 2,442 runs at an average of 53 with 10 hundreds.

Also Read: Virat Kohli Responds To Sanjay Manjrekar’s Question Over His Poor Performance At No. 4