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[Saba Sports News] Indian cricket star Virat Kohli was honored as the ICC ODI Men’s Cricketer of the Year 2023, surpassing fellow Indians Shubman Gill and Mohammed Shami. This marks his fourth time receiving this award, following wins in 2012, 2017, and 2018. Kohli’s achievement sets a new record, eclipsing AB de Villiers’ three wins and making him the first to win four times.
Kohli made a remarkable return in 2023, scoring a phenomenal 2,048 runs in 36 international innings. He led as the top scorer in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, securing the ‘Player of the Tournament’ title. His performance included eight centuries, surpassing Shubman Gill’s run tally. Both Kohli and Gill exceeded 2,000 runs in international cricket that year, with Gill scoring 1,584 in ODIs.
In 50-over cricket, Kohli amassed 1,377 runs in 24 innings, with six centuries and eight fifties. He also claimed a wicket against Bangladesh in the ODI World Cup. Kohli broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the most ODI hundreds during the World Cup and became the first player to hit 50 centuries in one-day internationals. Additionally, he proved his worth in the field, taking 12 catches in 27 matches.
Kohli, initially slated for the five-match Test series against England in India, withdrew from the first two games due to a personal emergency and requested fans not to speculate about his absence.