On Friday, January 5, the Apex Cricket Council revealed the candidates for the Sir Garfield Sobers Award of the Year 2023, the highest honour in cricket. The Men Cricketer of the Year 2023 nominations include two Indian cricketers, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja.
Virat and Jadeja’s performance-filled 2023
During the second Test in the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Series, he made a crucial 44 against Australia in difficult conditions in Delhi, helping India put up a respectable first-inning total that they eventually won. At the Narendra Modi Stadium, Kohli struck a magnificent 186 in the series’ last game. India advanced to the finals of the World Cup thanks to his incredible performance. The hitter scored the most runs in any World Cup edition ever with 765. If he wins, Kohli would have won the most Sir Garfield Sobers Trophies of any player with three.
For Jadeja, it was a tremendous year in red-ball cricket. He made significant bat-related contributions as well. These included an unwavering 70 in the opening Test match against Australia at Nagpur, which gave India a commanding lead. He also made an aggressive 48 in challenging conditions during the WTC final at The Oval. In a combined effort with Ravichandran Ashwin, he dominated the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with the ball.
Pat Cummins and Travis Head’s historic 2023
In 2023, he scored two centuries in the ODI World Cup 2023 and won Player of the Match due to his unique efforts in the knock-out games. Head has great success in the game’s other forms as well. During one particularly successful Test run, he assisted Australia in winning the WTC 2023 trophy. Head scored the most during the first innings of the WTC final versus India, finishing with a 163 run tally. His smashing knock contributed to Australia’s commanding total and final 209-run victory.
Pat Cummins had an absolutely incredible 2023, dominating as a player and taking home several honours as captain. Following their early setback of missing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Cummins’ Australia rose above the others and achieved significant victories. It started at The Oval with a decisive victory against India during the WTC final, and went on to be an impressive Ashes campaign in England. It all culminated in a magnificent ODI World Cup 2023 win.
