Virat, Smriti named Wisden Leading Cricketers of the Year

TIL Desk Sports/ India captain Virat Kohli was named the ‘Leading Cricketer in the World’ for the third time in a row in this year’s edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, the publication said on Wednesday.

Kohli, 30, 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.

Kohli, who scored only 134 runs during India’s previous tour of England in 2014, amassed 593 runs in his side’s five-Test series last year at an average of over 59 to book his place on the list.

India’s Smriti Mandhana, who scored 1,291 runs in limited overs, was named the Leading Cricketer in the women’s game while Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan was named the Leading Twenty20 Cricketer for the second consecutive year.