India's opening batsman Rohit Sharma was named the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year for 2019. Rohit was the highest run-getter in ODI cricketer in 2019, scoring 1490 runs in 28 matches at a staggering average of 57.30. He slammed seven centuries in the year, five of which came at the 2019 World Cup.
Indian captain Virat Kohli won the 'Spirit of Cricket' award for stopping fans from booing Australia's Steve Smith during their World Cup match at the Oval, the ICC said in a statement.
England's World Cup-winning all-rounder Ben Stokes got the 'Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy' for Player of the Year.
The 32-year-old Rohit had a memorable 2019 when he scored 10 hundreds across formats, including five in the World Cup.
Rohit topped the list of highest ODI run-scorers in 2019 with 1490 runs, surpassing his captain Virat Kohli who ended up scoring 1377 runs.
Rohit, who is the vice-captain of India's limited-overs teams, averaged 57.30 in ODIs in 2019 and slammed seven centuries in the format. His highest score in the year was 159, which came against the West Indies in Vizag.
“I would like to thank the ICC for giving me this award and the BCCI for giving me the opportunity to represent the country. It is great to be recognised in this fashion. We are very happy with the way we performed as a team in 2019. We could have done better but we have a lot of positives and a lot to look forward to in 2020," Rohit said after winning the award.
