India’s captain Virat Kohli won the Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Decade on Monday. He also won the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Decade award.
Kohli competed for the award alongside Ravichandran Ashwin, Joe Root, Steve Smith, among others. Additionally, former Indian captain MS Dhoni was also nominated in the ICC ODI Men’s Cricketer of the Decade.
“First of all, it is a great honor for me to receive this award. The moments closest to my heart in the last decade definitely have to be the victory in the World Cup in 2011, the victory in the Trophy of Champions in 2013 and win the series in Australia in 2018. Apart from that, there have also been some very special games for the India team in the last decade and also for me personally. I don’t want to mention my personal shots so much because then I will have to qualify them, and I don’t I like to do that. For me, every game that is played for India is so important and so crucial. It has been an honor for me to go out and perform for my team and for my country and it is a great honor for me to win this award. “Kohli told BCCI after winning the award.
Incredible Virat Kohli wins Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Decade
Most of the races in the #ICCAwards Period: 20,396
Most hundreds: 66
Majority of fifty: 94
Highest average among players with more than 70 innings: 56.97
2011 @cricketworldcup champion pic.twitter.com/lw0wTNlzGi– ICC (@ICC) December 28, 2020
Virat Kohli, who had scored 20,396 runs in all of international cricket during the time period, which is more than anyone else, was also part of the India team that won the 2011 ICC CWC and 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. He was also named a player of ICC cricket In both 2017 and 2018, it came as no surprise that he emerged as the clear jury favorite by winning the Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Decade.
VIRAT KOHLI is ICC ODI Men’s Cricketer of the Decade
Only player with more than 10,000 ODI races in the #ICCAwards period
39 centuries, 48 fifties
61.83 average
112 capturesA treadmill pic.twitter.com/0l0cDy4TYz
– ICC (@ICC) December 28, 2020
On the other hand, Australian hitter Steve Smith was named as the test player of the decade. During the tenure, Steve Smith scored 7,040 test runs with an average of 65.79. He broke 26 hundreds and 28 fifty.
STEVE SMITH is ICC’s Men’s Cricket Player of the Decade
7040 The test runs on the #ICCAwards period
65.79 average Highest in the top 50
26 hundreds, 28 fiftiesUnique, relentless and incredibly consistent pic.twitter.com/UlXvHaFbDz
– ICC (@ICC) December 28, 2020
Rashid Khan, the effects sensation from Afghanistan, took home the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Decade award. The 22-year-old took 89 wickets, the most by any player in the time period. His bowling was an impressive 12.62. He also made 3 sets of four wickets, two of five fors.
RASHID KHAN is the T20I men’s cricketer of the ICC decade
The tallest carrier of the #ICCAwards period 89
12.62 average
Three sets of four wickets, two of five forsWhat a story pic.twitter.com/Y59Y6nCs98
– ICC (@ICC) December 28, 2020
The winners of all individual awards will receive a unique artwork created in collaboration between ICC, Mumbai Kulture Shop studio and Indian artist Pratap Chalke. Rachel Heyhoe-Flint and Sir Garfield Sobers winners get a spectacular hand-painted bat, while the other individual award winners will receive a limited-edition canvas that captures their unique passion and spirit.
