Published: Feb 03, 2017, 11:23 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 03, 2017, 11:23 PM (IST)
Another day in cricketing world and another achievement for Virat Kohli, as Wisden Almanack revealed their cover for 2017 edition featuring him playing a reverse sweep. Under Kohli, the Indian team tasted success of claiming three trophies in all three formats against England. Kohli’s picture of playing reverse-sweep is from fourth Test between India and England at Mumbai, where he scored his career best 235. As per Wisden’s editor Lawrence Booth, the image shows the manner in which Kohli has revolutionised cricket.
“It underlines the fact that he is a very modern cricketer,” Booth told ESPNcricinfo. “It felt like the right time to get some unorthodoxy onto the cover. People often think of Wisden as a bastion of orthodoxy, but cricket is changing so rapidly that it felt like the right time to reflect that, and Kohli was the right man for the job.”
We are delighted to reveal the cover for 2017, featuring India’s star batsman @imVkohli playing a reverse sweep. https://t.co/dPWtJbrBwb pic.twitter.com/sAnJay6cJ6
— Wisden Almanack (@WisdenAlmanack) February 3, 2017
The year 2016 surely belonged to Kohli as he was among the top six run-getters in all formats of the game. Starting with Tests, Kohli amassed 1,215 runs — highest by any Indian captain in a calendar year and fourth highest in 2016 after Joe Root (1,477), Jonny Bairstow (1,470) and Alastair Cook (1,270). In ODIs, he did not get to play much, but still scored 739 runs from 10 matches at a staggering average of 92.37. And in T20Is, Kohli collected 641 runs at 106.83 — most by any batsman in a calendar year.
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Kohli is now only the second Indian cricketer to feature on Wisden’s cover in last four editions after Sachin Tendulkar in 2014, following his retirement. “Kohli will be fresh in the mind of all cricket fans after his performances against England,” Booth said. “He has pulled clear of the likes of Steve Smith, Joe Root, Kane Williamson and AB de Villiers, and is clearly the most exciting all-format batsman in world cricket.”
After this, Kohli is now expected to be named as one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year. However, Kohli’s record in England is quite poor. The only time he played Tests in England was back in 2014, where he made 134 runs from five matches at 13.4. Although, he would look to improve his numbers on his next tour of England in 2018.
