ICC 2017 Awards: Kohli leaves precious little for competition

Virat Kohli is the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2017. And Indian cricket team captain does not just stop there. One Day Cricketer of the Year – Virat Kohli. Captain of the ICC Test Team of the Year – Virat Kohli. The captain of the ICC ODI team of the Year – Virat Kohli, again. The other top honour for the Test Cricket of the Year goes to the Australian captain Steve Smith. Kohli gest ICC’s most prestigious honour the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy.

Kohli has replaced teammate Ravichandran Ashwin, who has won Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Player of the Year last year.

Elsewhere, India’s left-arm wrist spinner Yajuvendra Chahal’s spell of 6 for 25 against England at Bengaluru is termed as the T20 International performance of the year.

In the qualification period from 21 September 2016 to the end of 2017, India’s captain scored 2,203 Test runs at an average of 77.80 including eight centuries, 1,818 ODI runs at 82.63 including seven centuries, and 299 T20I runs at a strike rate of 153. He also captained his country with distinction, with India flying high at the top of the ICC Test rankings.

“It means a lot to win to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for becoming the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2017 and also the ICC ODI Player of the Year,” said Kohli. “I won that back in 2012 also but it’s the first time winning the Garfield Sobers Trophy, and it’s a huge honour for me. It’s probably the biggest of all in world cricket and two Indians getting it back-to-back makes it more special.

“Last time it was Ash [Ravichandran Ashwin] and this time I’m getting it, so I’m really really honoured and I’d like to thank the ICC for recognising all the hard work that we all put in for our respective sides and I want to congratulate all the other winners also.”

Kohli has struck seven ODI centuries during the qualifying period – averaging 82.63 – to take his career tally to 32, surpassing great names such as Ponting, Jayasuriya and Sangakkara, bag the honour of the ODI player of the Year.

Kohli also gets the honour of leading the ICC Men’s Test and the ODI Teams of the Year 2017. He is the only Indian to figure in both the teams along with Australian opener David Warner, South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Cock and Englishman Ben Stokes.

ICC Men’s Test Team of 2017 (in batting order): Dean Elgar (South Africa), David Warner (Australia), Virat Kohli (captain – India), Steve Smith (Australia), Cheteshwar Pujara (India), Ben Stokes (England), Quinton de Kock (wicket-keeper – South Africa), Ravichandran Ashwin (India), Mitchell Starc (Australia), Kagiso Rabada (South Africa) and James Anderson (England)

ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year 2017 (in batting order): David Warner (Australia), Rohit Sharma (India), Virat Kohli (captain – India), Babar Azam (Pakistan), AB de Villiers (South Africa), Quinton de Kock (wicket-keeper) (South Africa), Ben Stokes (England), Trent Boult (New Zealand), Hasan Ali (Pakistan), Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) and Jasprit Bumrah (India).

However, the extremely talented Indian captain is poised for the real challenge in 2018 with his team also scheduled to travel Australia and England after the ongoing tour of South Africa where India has already conceded the first two Tests of the three-match series.