Batting maestro Virat Kohli was nominated for the ICC ‘Player of the month’ award. The nomination is for the month of October. India’s batting star Kohli has been nominated for the first time, following his heroics with the bat in the ongoing T20 World Cup. The top-order batter smashed three half-centuries and helped his side to secure wins against arch-rivals Pakistan, the Netherlands, and Bangladesh. South Africa’s David Miller and Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe were also nominated alongside Kohli.
Kohli scored 205 runs in October, showing glimpses of his very best form. The 33-year-old batter looked at ease in scoring an unbeaten 62 against the Netherlands. However, the highlight was the era-defining innings played in front of a full house in Melbourne, as his side claimed a historic victory against Pakistan. Thanks to Kohli’s magnificent unbeaten 82 from 53 balls.
On Wednesday, Kohli once again came out firing against Bangladesh and became the highest run-scorer in the history of the T20 World Cup, surpassing legendary Sri Lankan batter Mahela Jayawardene (1016 runs in 31 matches). Kohli has an astonishing average of over 83 in the T20 World Cup in 25 matches so far. No other batter in the top 10 of the highest run scorers’ list averages above 50. Kohli also broke legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most runs on Australian soil by an Indian.
In women’s cricket, Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma were nominated after they played a vital role in the Indian women’s Asia Cup triumph. Rodrigues ended the tournament as the leading run-scorer while Sharma finished as joint leading wicket-taker.