Indian Captain Virat Kohli and women cricketer Smriti Mandhana were named as the ‘Leading Cricketer in the World’ in this year’s edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, the publication said on Wednesday.
Kohli was also named as one of Wisden’s five cricketers of the year along with England’s Jos Buttler and Sam Curran, County Championship-winning captain Rory Burns and Tammy Beaumont from the England women’s team for their performances in the 2018 English summer.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan was named the Leading Twenty20 Cricketer for the second consecutive year. He claimed 96 wickets in all T20 matches – a record for a calendar year.
Praising the batting display of the Virat Kohli, Wisden editor Lawrence Booth said, ‘Despite finishing on the losing side, India captain Virat Kohli shone with the bat, laying to rest his struggles in England in 2014.”
“His test batting, especially in England, was magnificent, while his 50-over form moved to a new level, if that was possible’, he added.
Kohli, who scored only 134 runs during India’s previous tour of England in 2014 showed great character and scored 593 runs during India-England five-test series last year at an average of over 59 and booked his place on the list.
In 2018, showing his great ability and hunger for runs, the run machine scored 2,735 runs across all three international formats at an average of 68.37, which included 11 centuries and also won the ICC’s cricketer award.
The Five Cricketers of the Year were chosen by Lawrence Booth, the editor of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, with the 2019 version serving as the156th edition.
