India batter Virat Kohli was adjudged Player of the Tournament of the ODI World Cup 2023 for his historic 765 runs in 11 innings. This is the most runs scored ever in a single edition of an ODI World Cup, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s previous record of 673 runs set in the 2003 edition.
Kohli also recorded nine fifty-plus scores in the 2023 edition of the quadrennial tournament – the most for any player and again going past Sachin Tendulkar’s record of seven fifty-plus scores which the latter had set in 2003.
Kohli started the campaign with a match-winning 85 against Australia in Chennai and his innings ensured that India, who were three down for two runs at one point, won the match comfortably in the end.
He followed it with 55 not out against Afghanistan, playing second fiddle to India skipper Rohit Sharma who scored a belligerent 131. The India batter, in the next match against arch-rivals Pakistan, could score only 16 but hit 103 not out in the very next match against Bangladesh.
Playing against New Zealand in Dharamsala, Kohli scored 95 in a match-winning effort but got out on a duck in the next match vs England in Lucknow.
Against Sri Lanka in Mumbai, Kohli scored 88 out of India’s huge total of 357 runs and followed it with 101 not out against South Africa. His century against Proteas also took him at par with Sachin’s record 49 ODI tons.
In India’s last league match against Netherlands, Kohli got out after scoring 51. Come the semi-final, Kohli hit the record-setting 50th ODI ton, scoring 117 against New Zealand in Mumbai as India posted 397. In the final against Australia, Kohli scored 54 before getting out off an inside edge at a crucial moment in the game.
Kohli’s runs, which came at an average of 95.62, made sure that India reached the final undefeated. In the tournament ender, however, Australia got the better of India and went on to win their record sixth ODI World Cup title.
