As curtains fall on what has been a glorious year for Indian sports with a number of glittering performances across various sports, we look back at one passionate sports icon who has taken the cricketing world by storm ever since his debut and continues to grow leaps and bounds with every passing year.
No guesses on this one, it is none other than Virat Kohli. As we gear up to kick start a new year, let's look back at the top 5 moments from the Indian Test Skipper's year that brought a delight to each one of us.
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5. Accolades off the field
Earlier this year, it was announced that Virat will be paid an additional fee for his commitments raising the cap to INR 15crore toppling the likes of MS Dhoni and Shikhar Dhawan who were paid 12crore apiece. To add to this are a plethora of off-field accolades such as a feature in the Forbes celebrity 100 and various other brand endorsements.
4. The knock that saved India's face!
Playing in front of the home crowd in the ICC World T20 earlier this year, following Hardik Pandya's and MS Dhoni's last over heroics to clinch the game against Bangladesh, India were once again looking to secure a win against the mighty Aussies where Virat anchored the chase with a brilliant 82 off just 51 balls at Mohali to ensure India advanced to the knockout stages where they eventually went down to the Windies in the semi finals.
3. A Triple Treat!
Not one or two but three double hundreds were what Virat had to offer this calendar year which was the first instance an Indian managed to achieve such a groundbreaking feat. For this herculean effort, he received accolades from various legends across the cricketing cricles.
2. IPL 2016: Runs Galore!
Virat emerged as the highest run-getter in the bygone IPL season with as many as four centuries to his name in the glittering tournament which features some of the biggest names in the cricketing world and to lock horns with the best in the business and come out on top is truly the cherry on top.
1. Captain of the ODI Team of the Player
There is no greater achievement in a player's career than taking his game to the international scene and making the country proud. Virat ensured he did this in grand fashion with consistent knocks across all formats and brilliant captaincy in Tests which ensured that not only did he find a spot in the ODI XI but was also named the captain of the side featuring the modern day stalwarts of the game.