“It’s been an amazing year,” says Virat Kohli on clean-sweeping ICC Awards 2018

Virat Kohli on clean-sweeping ICC Awards 2018: The Indian captain looked back at his and India’s performance in the year 2018.

India captain Virat Kohli has become the first-ever cricketer to clean-sweep the three major ICC Awards. As the ICC Awards for the year 2018 were being announced, Kohli was at the forefront of the recipients.

Kohli became the first cricketer ever to win Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year, ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year and ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year in the same year.

In the 37 matches which Kohli played in 2018, he scored 2,735 runs in 47 innings at an average of 68.37. The 30-year old cricketer scored 11 centuries and 9 half-centuries across formats in 2018.

In a video posted on ICC’s official Twitter account, Kohli termed all these awards as ‘reward’ for all the hard work and also lauded the Indian team for doing well.

“It’s a reward for all the hard work that you do throughout the calendar year and I’m very grateful that I’ve won second year in a row. I’m very happy with the team doing well at the same time and myself performing,” Kohli said.

Labeling it as a ‘proud’ moment, Kohli admitted the competition which goes on at the highest level. “Recognition at the global level [from the ICC] is something which you feel proud of as a cricketer because you understand that there are many players who are playing the game and to get awarded in this manner among all of them is a very proud moment for me,” he added.

Not taking these record-breaking achievement for granted, Kohli said that these moments give him ‘motivation’ to increase the standard of cricket. “It is something which gives me the motivation to keep repeating the same thing because you have to keep the standard of cricket up and put consistent performances,” he further added.

Given the year that has gone by for him, Kohli said he himself hadn’t imagined playing in the manner in which he did. “It’s been an amazing year. I was able to play in a manner which I wouldn’t have imagined.

“If the intention is right and you working hard, the results are there in front of your own eyes. I think the intent has to be helping the team at any cost and that’s when these performances come by. You are pushing yourself you a limit which otherwise you won’t be able to. That is something I experienced a lot in 2018,” he mentioned.

Being asked about his personal favourite moment of the year, Kohli highlighted the Test victories in Australia as his best from personal and team’s point of view. “My personal favourite moment of 2018 was the win at Adelaide [against Australia]. To start the series in that fashion was something very special.

“Even during the Boxing Day Test as well. I think MCG was huge. These two are the personal best from personal and from the team’s point of view,” he concluded.

Watch the full video below: