Virat Kohli, India’s top batter, won the 2023 ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year award. This is his fourth time winning this important prize.
The ex-Indian captain showcased an exceptional year in ODI cricket. With a mighty 1377 runs in 27 games, he clinched the title of the second top scorer in 2023. His impressive average reads 72.47 accompanied by six tons.
The year 2022 saw Virat Kohli crack his no-century spell of three years in ODI cricket against Bangladesh. This boosted his morale for the next year. The cricket veteran at 35, scored two centuries in the local three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. He grossed a bountiful 283 runs in the stint.
Despite not having a strong start to the Asia Cup 2023, Virat Kohli gave it his all in the Super 4 match against Pakistan in Colombo. With a perfect record of 122 off 94 deliveries, he combined with KL Rahul to weave a 233-run partnership that helped the Men in Blue reach 356-2. He won Player of the Match honors as India defeated Pakistan by 228 runs.
Virat Kohli’s 2023 World Cup heroics earn him Player of the Tournament award
For the former captain of India, the 2023 World Cup on home soil turned out to be yet another unforgettable competition. In Chennai, he opened the 10-team tournament with a knock of 85 against Australia, which helped India win as the hosts struggled at 2-3 trying to reach 200.
Kohli scored his first century of the 2023 World Cup against Bangladesh and he repeated this feat in a match against South Africa at Kolkata, thus equaling Tendulkar’s number of 49 ODI centuries. The iconic 50 hundred came in the semi-final, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai against New Zealand.
While India were led by the veteran batter who hit 54 in Ahmedabad during their final against Australia, that was an unforgettable six-wicket win for the tourists to take home a World Cup. However, in the process Kohli (765 runs), broke Tendulkar’s record for the most number of runs by a batsman in any edition of the World Cup.