Virat Kohli wins ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year 2023 ahead of Mohammed Shami, Shubman Gill

India’s star batter Virat Kohli clinched the ICC ODI Men’s Cricketer of the Year 2023 award on Thursday, January 25. The legendary batter defeated teammates Shubman Gill and Mohammed Shami to claim the prestigious award for the record fourth time.

Kohli had previously won this award in 2012, 2017 and 2018 and is also among four nominees for the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2023 award. Kohli became the first-ever cricketer to win this award for the fourth time, surpassing AB de Villiers; tally of three awards. 

Kohli enjoyed a sensational turnaround to his form in 2023 as he smashed 2,048 runs in 36 international innings. He was the leading run-getter in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 and also won the Player of the Tournament after India’s disappointing loss in the final.

The 35-year-old star recorded eight centuries across formats in 2023, one more than leading run-getter Shubman Gill. Kohli and Gill were the only cricketers to reach the 2,000-run mark in international cricket with the latter dominating ODIs with 1584 runs.

Kohli also enjoyed a stunning year in 50-over cricket where he scored 1377 runs in just 24 innings with six hundreds and eight fifties. Kohli also broke Sachin Tendulkar‘s historic record of most ODI hundreds during the World Cup and became the first cricketer to register 50 centuries in 50-over cricket.

Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami was also a leading contender to win the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year 2023 award after a stellar run in 2023. He claimed 43 wickets in just 19 ODI innings at an average of 16.46 with stunning four five-wicket hauls. 

New Zealand’s in-form batting all-rounder Daryl Mitchell was the fourth nominee for this award. Daryl’s superb form across formats helped him score 1989 runs in 55 international innings, including 1204 runs in 25 ODI innings in 2023. Mitchell also shone with a ball by taking nine wickets in nine ODI innings last year.