This marked Kohli's unprecedented third win of the coveted award, surpassing the achievements of MS Dhoni and AB de Villiers, who each won it twice.
Digital Desk: Star India batsman Virat Kohli was awarded the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year 2023 on Saturday, June 1, just ahead of India’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign. The 35-year-old, alongside teammates Shubman Gill, Mohammed Shami, and New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell, was nominated for the prestigious accolade. However, Kohli emerged as the ultimate victor after garnering votes from fans and the expert panel of the ICC. He received the award prior to India’s warm-up match against Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup.
This marked Kohli's unprecedented third win of the coveted award, surpassing the achievements of MS Dhoni and AB de Villiers, who each won it twice. The ICC shared a video featuring the former India captain posing with the trophy and the ODI team of the year cap during the pre-tournament photoshoot.
Kohli had a stellar year with the bat in ODIs in 2023, finishing as the second-highest run-scorer with 1377 runs from 24 innings, averaging 72.47 with a strike rate of 99.13. He registered six centuries and eight half-centuries during this period.
In the ODI World Cup 2023, Kohli set records by amassing the most runs in a single edition of the tournament, scoring 765 runs from 11 innings at an average of 95.62 and a strike rate of 90.31, including three centuries and six half-centuries. He also achieved his 50th ODI century during the tournament, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's record. However, despite his exceptional performance, India lost to Australia in the final.
Looking ahead, Kohli aims to replicate his remarkable batting prowess in the T20 World Cup, where he holds the record for the highest run-scorer in the history of the tournament with 1141 runs from 25 innings, averaging 81.50 with a strike rate of 131.30. With India kicking off their campaign against Ireland on June 5, Kohli is eager to make a significant impact once again.
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