'Run Machine' Virat Kohli named ICC Player of the Month for October for remarkable knocks in T20 World Cup

Virat Kohli named ICC Player of the Month for October; maiden award for India cricketer since its inception

New Delhi, Nov 7: Star India batter Virat Kohli's imperious form with the bat in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia has been the talk of the cricketing fraternity. The batting maestro has played some incredible knocks in the showpiece event to help the Men in Blue qualify for the semi-finals.

The right-handed batter on Monday (November 7) has been announced as the winner of the Player of the Month Award for October 2022. This is the first instance when the Indian run machine bagged this award since the ICC started it.

Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza and South Africa's David Miller were the other nominees for the award along with Kohli, but the Indian batting mainstay left them behind to claim the title.

Kohli - who turned 34 a couple of days back - batted in only four innings in October but he churned out three memorable knocks, including a magical 82* against arch-rivals Pakistan in the T20 World Cup.

India were in dire straits and out of the game when Pakistan reduced them to 31/4 while chasing 160, but Kohli didn't give up and went on to produce a breathtaking knock of 82* from just 53 deliveries to guide India home. In the post-match interview, the Delhi cricketer went on to admit that it was the best knock of his T20I career.

"It is a great honour for me to have been voted the ICC Men's Player of the Month for October. Being chosen as the standout player by fans across the globe as well as the panel makes this accolade even more special for me," Kohli said after winning the award.

"I want to pay tribute to the other nominees who performed so well during the month and also to my teammates, who continue to support me to perform to the best of my ability," he added.

Apart from his majestic knock against Pakistan, Kohli also played an outstanding knock of 49* from just 28 deliveries against South Africa in Guwahati earlier in the month. He also scored an unbeaten 62 from 44 deliveries against the Netherlands in the T20 World Cup, which came just after the memorable knock against Pakistan.

Kohli, who has proven himself as the most prolific run-scorer in the T20 World Cup, is the leading run scorer in the tournament's history with 1091* runs in 24 innings. In the ongoing edition, Kohli has amassed 246 runs in 5 innings, including three fifties, and is the leading run-scorer. India will take on England in the second semi-final now in Adelaide on November 10.