Virat Kohli has won the ICC ODI Men's Cricketer of the Year 2023 award, International Cricket Council announced on January 25, Thursday. This is the fourth time Virat Kohli has been honoured with the ICC ODI Men's Cricketer of the Year 2023 award. Apparently India's batting maestro pipped his fellow Indian teammates Shubman Gill and Mohammed Shami to bag the glory.
Kohli, who previously won this award in 2012, 2017, and 2018, made history as the first cricketer to win it four times, surpassing AB de Villiers, who won it three times. Additionally, Kohli is a nominee for the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2023 award. In 2023, Kohli oozed fire with his batting, scoring 2,048 runs in 36 international innings. He was the top run-scorer in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 and was named Player of the Tournament despite India's loss in the final.
The 35-year-old star notched up eight centuries across formats in 2023, surpassing Shubman Gill, who was the year's leading run-scorer. Kohli and Gill were the only players to surpass 2,000 international runs in the year, with Gill particularly excelling in ODIs, amassing 1,584 runs.
Kohli had an exceptional 2023 in ODI, amassing 1377 runs in just 24 innings, including six centuries and eight half-centuries. He surpassed Sachin Tendulkar's legendary record for the most ODI centuries during the World Cup, becoming the first cricketer to achieve 50 centuries in the 50-over format.
Mohammed Shami was another strong candidate for the ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year 2023 award, thanks to his impressive performance in 2023. He took 43 wickets in 19 ODI innings, averaging 16.46, and notched four five-wicket hauls. New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell, a prolific batting all-rounder, was also nominated for the award. Demonstrating excellent form across various formats, Mitchell scored 1989 runs in 55 international innings, including 1204 runs in 25 ODI innings in 2023. He also made a significant impact with the ball, claiming nine wickets in nine ODI innings last year.
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