#1 Virat Kohli
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No superlative is enough to describe India’s Test skipper given the purple patch he’s been having this year, both as a player and as a captain. Under Kohli’s leadership, India have been undefeated in Tests throughout 2016 and Kohli himself has been in stupendous form, setting new records and benchmarks throughout the year.
The Delhi batsman has been extremely consistent with the bat and has been racking up runs in quick succession regardless of the nature of the pitch on which the match is being played. Kohli ended 2016 with 1215 runs in 18 innings at an astonishing average of 75.93 and a strike rate of 60.41.
His first Test series of the year did not come before July which was the Tour of West Indies and began the series with the first double-century of his Test career. He did not make any other significant contribution throughout the series. He had a similar outing when India hosted New Zealand as barring a brilliant 211 in the final Test at Indore, he did not make any major contributions with the bat.
Kohli’s finest hour of the year came during the recently concluded Test Series against England where he was adjudged the Man of the Series and was the highest run scorer in the series with 691 runs at an astounding average of 109.16. During the fourth Test of the series, he scored his highest Test score of 235 which is the highest Test score by any Indian captain. In the process, he became the only Indian batsman and the fifth overall, to score three double-centuries in a calendar year.
Described as an aggressive batsman, Kohli tends to show his aggressive intent through exquisite grounded shots combined with perfect timing and solid footwork. With the kind of consistency he has been showing this year, it’s only a matter of time before Kohli betters Brian Lara’s 400 to hold the record for the highest individual Test score.
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