Press Trust of India
New Delhi, Dec 31: Continuing his meteoric rise, Indian Test captain Virat Kohli was named Thursday as ‘Cricketer of the Year’, while Mithali Raj was picked for the top women’s award in the BCCI annual honours to be given away January 5 in Mumbai.
The 27-year-old batsman, who took over as permanent captain after Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s sudden retirement, delivered some good results under his leadership.
Under Kohli, the Indian team ended a 22-year wait for a series win on Sri Lankan soil before battering World No.1 South Africa to give them their first overseas loss in nine years. The right-hander did well with the bat too, scoring 640 runs in 15 Test innings that he played at an average of 42.67. In his 20 ODI outings this year, Kohli managed 623 runs at an average of 36.65.
Mithali, on the other hand, became the first Indian woman and second overall to complete 5,000 runs in ODI format this year. Mithali will be presented with the MA Chidambaram Trophy for the best women’s cricketer.
Karnataka State Cricket Association has been chosen the ‘Association of the Year’ for achieving the treble of winning the Ranji Trophy, Irani Cup and Vijay Hazare Trophy in the season.
