Virat Kohli sweeps ICC awards

Virat Kohli has had a stellar year in 2017 and at the ICC Awards in Dubai on Thursday, his efforts were felicated. He was announced the ICC Cricketer of the Year, ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year. He was adjudged the Captain of both ICC Test and ODI Teams.

Kohli finished 2017 with a staggering 2818 international runs across international formats. The India captain scored 1059 runs in 10 Tests, 1460 runs in 26 ODIs and 299 runs in 10 T20 Internationals.

The 29-year-old hammered 11 hundreds including three double centuries (one vs Bangladesh and two vs Sri Lanka). He has been rested from the ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka and will now play for India only from January 5 when the first Test against South Africa gets underway.

With India flying high at the top of the rankings, Kohli scored 2203 Test runs at 77.80 including eight hundreds, 1818 ODI runs at 82.63 including seven hundreds, and 299



T20I runs at a strike rate of 153.

Australian skipper, Steve Smith was awarded as the ICC Test cricketer of the year. Smith has phenomenal with the bat, scoring 1305 runs from 11 matches, at an average of 76.76. He has scored six hundreds and a highest of 239 in the recently concluded Ashes series which Australia won 4-0.

The Ashes were merely the culmination of an incredible year for Smith. In the award qualifying period, he played 16 Tests, scoring 1875 runs at 78.12, with eight hundreds and five 50s.

Yuzvendra Chahal was awarded for his match-wiinning performace of haul of 6/25 against England in Bengaluru back in February. Chahal was named Player of the Match and Player of the Series, as his six wicket haul was the best T20I figures by and Indain and third best behind Sri Lanka's Ajantha Mendis, who took 6/8 and 6/16 against Zimbabwe and Australia respectively.