India skipper Virat Kohli and white-ball vice-captain Rohit Sharma were among the prize winners in the ICC Awards announced on Wednesday (January 15).
Rohit Sharma was named ICC’s ‘2019 ODI Cricketer of the Year’ for his incredible run of form through the year.
“I would like to thank the ICC for giving me this award and the BCCI for giving me the opportunity to represent the country. It is great to be recognised in this fashion,” Rohit said.
“We are very happy with the way we performed as a team in 2019. We could have done better but we have a lot of positives and a lot to look forward to in 2020.”
Kohli won the ‘Spirit of Cricket’ award for stopping fans from booing Australia’s Steve Smith during their World Cup match at the Oval.
“I’m surprised that I have got it, after many years of being under the scanner for the wrong things. It is part of camaraderie that sportsmen must have with each other,” Kohli said.
“That moment was purely understanding an individual’s situation. I don’t think a guy who is coming out of a situation like that needs to be taken advantage of. You can sledge, can have have banter on the field, you say things to the opposition in wanting to beat them. But booing someone is not in the spirit of any sport, I don’t endorse it.”
Pacer Deepak Chahar was adjudged T20I performer of the year for his match-winning 6/7 against Bangladesh in November 2019.
“I am very happy to receive this award. I would like to thank the ICC for this award and to the BCCI for giving me a chance to represent my country. That performance was very special for me,” said Chahar.
“I got an opportunity to play for India after a long time. Taking six wickets conceding only seven runs was a dream performance for me and will always remain close to my heart.”
Kohli was also named skipper of the Test and ODI teams of the year. Apart from him, there were four other Indians who were picked in the ICC’s Test and ODI Teams of the Year.
While the Test team featured double-centurion Mayank Agarwal, opener Rohit Sharma, speedster Mohammed Shami and left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav found a place in the ODI side.
(With agency inputs)