Virat Kohli, former India captain, added another feather to his cap by clinching the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year award for 2023. Showcasing stellar batting prowess, Kohli led Team India with impressive performances in the ICC World Cup 2023. He broke multiple records over the course of the tournament and was a key player in driving the Men In Blue to the event’s final stage. His feats extended beyond the bounds of the cricket field, with his name resonating with fans who rallied behind him in venues like Hyderabad, as well as during a T20 match against Afghanistan in Bengaluru on January 17, 2024.
In a season that saw him in top form, Kohli was part of an elite shortlist that included Indian pacer Mohammed Shami, opener Shubman Gill, and New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell for the prestigious ICC award. With 1377 runs, 12 catches, and even a wicket across 27 ODIs, Kohli was nothing short of a cricketing sensation in 2023. Standing out as the World Cup’s top scorer with 765 runs, he eclipsed the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, registered an awe-inspiring 50 ODI centuries, and boasted an average of 95.62 with a strike rate of 90.31 in the tournament.
Commemorating the excellence in international cricket, other notable awardees included Usman Khawaja as the Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year, Suryakumar Yadav as the T20I Cricketer of the Year, and Rachin Ravindra as Emerging Cricketer of the Year, while Australian captain Pat Cummins was honored with the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy. Kohli, who previously won the ICC ODI Player of the Year award in 2012, 2017, and 2018, made history by securing the accolade for the fourth time. The year 2023 saw Kohli at the pinnacle of his cricketing career, dominating the scoreboards and setting new records, which included amassing the most runs ever at a men’s Cricket World Cup and hitting eight centuries across all formats. His performance was instrumental in India’s journey to the World Cup final, and despite the team’s narrow miss at the championship, Kohli’s achievements etched his name deeper into cricket history.