Dubai, January 23: Virat Kohli has become the first cricketer to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year, the ICC Men’s Test Player of the Year and the ICC ODI Player of the Year awards following an extraordinary 2018. The Indian skipper had won the Sir Garfield Trophy and ICC ODI Player of the Year awards last year and was also the ICC ODI Player of the Year in 2012.“It feels amazing. It is a reward for all the hard work that you do throughout the calendar year. Virat Kohli Surpasses Brian Lara to Enter List of Top 10 Leading ODI Run-Scores, During India vs New Zealand, 1st ODI.

I feel really grateful and very happy with the team doing well at the same time myself performing. Having recognition at the global level from the ICC is something you feel proud of as a cricketer because you understand that there are many players playing the game,” the 30-year-old said on Tuesday.“To be rewarded in this manner from amongst all of them is obviously a very proud moment for me and something that gives you more motivation to keep repeating the same things because you have to keep the standard of cricket up and keep bringing inconsistent performances. From that point of view,

these awards give you that extra motivation,” he added.

Kohli is not only the first player to win these three major ICC awards together but he has also been named the captain of the ICC Test and ODI teams of the year for a fabulous run in international cricket. He scored 1,322 runs at an average of 55.08 in 13 Tests with five hundred's during the calendar year while in 14 ODIs he amassed 1202 runs at an astonishing average of 133.55 with six centuries. He also scored 211 runs in 10 T20Is.

The Delhi born cricketer, who first came into limelight when he led India to victory at the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia in 2008, finished the year as the top-ranked batsman in Tests and ODIs. The highest scorer in both forms of the game in 2018, Kohli was one of only two batsmen to score more than 1,000 runs in Tests and only among three to do so in ODI cricket.

Congratulating the Indian skipper, the ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “Sincere congratulations to every one of our individual winners and those players named in our ICC Test and ODI teams of the year. Special mention must go to Virat Kohli, who becomes the first ever player to win the Sir Garfield Sobers award along with Test Player of the Year and ODI Player of the Year and be named as captain of both teams.”

Kohli was the unanimous choice of the Voting Academy for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy with South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada coming in second for both these awards and the ICC Test Player of the Year award. Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan was runner up to Kohli for the ICC ODI Player of the Year award.

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