Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2019: Virat Kohli wins twin accolades
What's the story
Indian skipper Virat Kohli continued to dominate the cricketing world as he further cemented his legacy on Wednesday. He won twin accolades in the latest edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. Kohli went on to win the Leading Cricketer in the World for the third time in a row, along being named as one of the Five Cricketers of the Year. Here's all about it.
Stats
Kohli dominated all formats in 2018
Kohli had a prolific 2018, dominating all the way. He scored 2,735 international runs across the three formats at an average of 68.37. In the year he slammed 11 centuries, of which seven came during the tour of South Africa, England and Australia. His performance in England led him to being named as one of the Five Cricketers of the Year by Wisden.
Quote
Kohli's performance in England was magnificent
The editor of Wisden, Lawrence Booth, said, "Despite finishing on the losing side, Virat Kohli shone with the bat, laying to rest his struggles in England in 2014. His Test batting, especially in England, was magnificent, while his 50-over form moved to a new level."
Other winners
Kohli shares honors with other top stars
While Kohli headlined the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2019, he shared the accolades with other deserving cricketers. As for the Five Cricketers of the Year, he shared the same with England's Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Rory Burns and Tammy Beaumont. While Smriti Mandhana won the prize for Leading Cricketer among women, spin sensation Rashid Khan won the Leading Twenty20 Cricketer for the second time.
What's next?
Kohli eyes IPL 2019 and World Cup
As of now, Kohli is off to a tough start in the IPL 2019 with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), which have lost their opening six games. While it may seem a tough road to make a comeback, Kohli would leave no stone unturned hereon. Following the IPL, his focus would be to lead Team India to their historic third World Cup title, in England.