India cricket team skipper Virat Kolhi was named Wisden’s Leading Cricketer in the World for 2016 on Wednesday, adding another feather to his already crowded cap.
Kohli scored 1215 Test runs at a brilliant average of 75.93 last year. His 10 ODI appearances fetched him 739 runs at 92.37, while he scored 641 T20 International runs at 106.83.
Only six batsmen have ever scored more international runs in a calendar year than Kohli but none of them have come close to the Team India captain’s average.
“Virat Kohli, who features on the cover of the 2017 edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, is also the Leading Cricketer in the World for 2016, an accolade put in place in 2003 when Ricky Ponting became the first honouree,” Wisden announced.
The 28-year-old became the third Indian cricketer to win the award, which has been running since 2003 and covers all the three formats of the game in the preceding calendar year.
Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag earned the honour twice by Wisden, while legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar won it once.
Owing to his phenomenal run with the bat, Kohli had won the prestigious ‘Polly Umrigar award’ presented to the ‘International Cricketer of the Year’ at the BCCI Annual Awards.
