Virat Kohli Receives International Cricketer of the Year Award for 2018 and 2017 by Barmy Army Ahead of India vs England Test Series 2018

Barmy Army, the fan-group based in England, presented Virat Kohli with the International Cricketer of the Year award for the year 2018. After the completion of Day 1 of the practise game, Kohli was awarded the Cricketer of the Year award. Not to forget, the Indian cricket team captain was awarded the same previous year too.

The Indian team is currently embroiled in a three-day tour game against Essex, in Chelmsford, in London. The Indian side ended on 322/6 in 84 overs at the end of Day 1 of the match.

While Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ajinkya Rahane failed to score big in the match, Murali Vijay, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Dinesh Karthik all scored half-centuries. However, it seemed that Kohli’s problem of poking the ball pitched outside off-stump wasn't solved yet.

The BCCI shared the photograph on their official Twitter account. The tweet read, “Say cheese. The Barmy Army presents Team India Captain Virat Kohli with the International Player of the Year for years 2017 and 2018.”

Watch Pictures of Virat Kohli with International Cricketer of the Year Award for 2017 and 2018:

Last year too, Kohli was awarded the award. However, he wasn’t present to collect the prize in person. The Barmy Army had then posted captain Virat Kohli’s video on their Twitter account.

Kohli had then said, “I am honoured to be chosen by the Barmy Army as the international player of the year. It feels nice to be recognised by the fans of other countries and cricket lovers from all over the globe which makes you feel great as a cricketer. Especially from the Barmy Army who made my life hell in England in 2014 when I had a tough time… I want to thank you all once again from the bottom of my heart and look forward to catching up with all of you when we come to England next year. Hopefully, we can have some interaction of the field also; cheers, thank you.”

Watch Video of Virat Kohli Thanking Barmy Army for International Cricketer of the Year Award 2017:

The Indian team will be playing a total of five Test matches under the leadership of Virat Kohli, who would be nothing less than desperate to prove his mettle in English conditions. James Anderson, England’s premier pace bowler, said that if Kohli is saying that his runs don’t matter, then he is lying. The Indian captain had a horrendous tour when the Indian team last visited England in 2014.

However, Kohli has had a great start to the year 2018. In the total of 19 matches that he has played for India, across all formats, Kohli has amassed 1181 runs with an impressive average of 65.61. In the 19 games, the Indian captain has scored four hundred and four half-centuries.

India vs England Test Series 2018 will begin on August 1, and both the sides would be looking forward to starting the series on a winning note. Will India, under the captaincy of Virat Kohli, shed the tag of ‘paper-tigers’ in England or not, is for time to tell. However, the next month and a half would be exciting for the cricket fans!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 26, 2018 04:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).