Virat Kohli wins ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade award, reveals mindset that makes him a champion

Indian captain Virat Kohli has won the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade. The governing body of cricket revealed the same through a tweet on its official account.

Virat Kohli scored the most runs across formats in the decade for which the awards were announced - 20,396. The 32-year-old also made the most hundreds (66) and fifties (94) during the ICC Awards period taken into consideration.

The incredible Virat Kohli wins the Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade 🙌🏏 Most runs in the #ICCAwards period: 20,396💯 Most hundreds: 66🙌 Most fifties: 94🅰️ Highest average among players with 70+ innings: 56.97🏆 2011 @cricketworldcup champion pic.twitter.com/lw0wTNlzGi

— ICC (@ICC) December 28, 2020

The Indian run-machine also had the highest average among players with 70+ innings in the awards period - 56.97.

Virat Kohli was a part of India’s victorious 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy campaigns. He was also named Player of the Series in the last two editions of the T20 World Cup - 2014 and 2016.

Reacting to being named the Male Cricketer of the Decade, Virat Kohli, in a video shared on ICC’s Twitter account, said:

“It’s a great honor for me to receive this award. The moments that are closest to my heart in the last decade definitely have to be the World Cup win in 2011, the Champions Trophy win in 2013, winning the series in Australia in 2018. These are the three moments I hold very dearly in my heart.

“Apart from that also, there have been very very special games for Team India over the last decade and for me personally as well. I wouldn’t like to mention the personal knocks because then I will have to rate them, and I don’t like doing that. For me, every game played for India is as important.”

Take a lot of pride in testing myself against the best in conditions that are not ours: Virat Kohli

🏅 ICC @CricketWorldCup win in 2011🏆 ICC Champions Trophy win in 2013🎖️ Test series win in Australia in 2018Virat Kohli, the winner of the Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade, talks about the last 10 glorious years of his career 🙌#ICCAwards pic.twitter.com/P9FSDgCkWJ

— ICC (@ICC) December 28, 2020

On the mindset needed for being a champion, Virat Kohli opined:

“My mindset has always been to give my heart and soul on the field for the team, and make sure that, as a team, we are always moving forward in the right direction whether you get the results on not. It is the mindset that you take on to the field, and that helps you be consistent in all formats of the game. I take a lot of pride in testing myself against the best in conditions that are not ours, situations that are tough.”

Earlier, Virat Kohli was also named the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Decade. The Indian captain is currently on paternity leave, with Ajinkya Rahane leading the side in his absence in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under.