ICC Awards 2020: 2 Indian players including Virat Kohli nominated in Player of the Decade category
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the nominations for its much-venerated Awards of the Decade for 2010-2019.
The ICC decennially honors some of the most prolific names in men's and women's international cricket. These players are voted for by respected members of the cricket fraternity and the general public.
Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin are two Indians among seven players nominated for the prestigious Player of the Decade category.
The other names in the category include England Test captain Joe Root, ICC number 1 ranked Test batsman Steve Smith, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, South African stalwart AB de Villiers and Sri Lankan legendary wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara.
Performances of the ICC Player of the Decade nominees
Despite making his debut in 2008, Virat Kohli's journey to becoming the world's best batsman across the formats only began in 2010.
In the last decade, Kohli has pushed the contours of prolific batting. He also played the most ODIs than any player, which is a testament to his fitness.
He scored the most runs (11,125), unparalleled most hundreds (42), most half-centuries (52), took the most catches (117) and received the most number of Man of the Match awards (35). He owned the last 10 years and is certainly the front-runner for the ICC award.
Ravichandran Ashwin is the only bowler in the ICC Player of the Decade repertoire. He finished the decade with the most number of wickets across formats (564).
Steve Smith has been at the number 1 spot in the ICC Test rankings since forever, only to be replaced transiently by Kohli. With a Bradmenseque average of over 62, which is the highest in the world, he has redefined the last decade with his original and very effective batting style.
Other members of the batting fab-four, Joe Root and Kane Williamson have been phenomenal for their teams, both scoring at an average of above 50.
AB de Villiers, now retired, will go down in the annals as the most versatile batsman in the history of cricket. He has the record for the fastest ODI hundred and can give other competitors a run for their money for this ICC award.
One of the finest wicketkeepers in the world, Sangakara also features in the list. A career Test average of over 57 to score a humongous 27,000 runs in international cricket comfortably puts him among the best.
The winners of the ICC Player of the Decade Award will be announced on 18th December 2020.