5 contenders for the 2017 ODI Player of the Year Award

The ICC ODI Player of the Year Award is one of most prestigious awards in cricket. The ICC introduced it in 2004, and Sachin Tendulkar, AB de Villiers, Kumar Sangakkara, and Ricky Ponting are among the elite set of players to have received it in the past.

2017 has been a spectacular year for cricket so far, and there have been some truly brilliant performances by bowlers and batsmen alike.

Australia, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies have had challenging years, while India and Pakistan have breezed through. India is currently ranked No. 2 in ODIs, and Pakistan won the ICC Champions Trophy 2017.

Let's take a look at the five possible candidates for the ODI Player of the Year Award 2017.

#5 Joe Root

England's Test captain has been a consistent performer in ODIs ever since he made his debut against India in 2012. He comes in at No. 3 for England, and is a key player to their new ODI setup. He is the second highest run-scorer in 2017 with 983 runs, an average of 70.21, and a strike rate of 92.12.

Root is one of the most technically gifted players in world cricket. Only four times in 2017 has he been dismissed for less than 30 runs, and that speaks of his consistency in the limited overs format.

Part of an aggressive batting line-up comprising of Hales, Buttler, Stokes, Roy, and Morgan, Root's composure provides much-needed stability for England's ODI team. He is the linchpin that holds England's batting side together.

#4 Hasan Ali

Player of the Tournament, ICC Champions Trophy 2017

Hasan Ali is having a dream 2017. He has taken 40 wickets from 16 games, and it was his 13 wickets in 5 games that led Pakistan to their maiden ICC Champions Trophy title. He was the leading wicket-taker of the tournament, and was given the Player of the Tournament Award for his flawless display of fast bowling.

Ali's ODI debut was less than a year ago, but he found his feet quickly. He bowls a deadly yorker, and is dangerously consistent. He has produced some great performances for Pakistan, and in his 15 matches this year, has taken three wickets or more on nine occasions.

The 23-year-old is currently ranked No. 7 in the ICC ODI bowler rankings, and is a talent to watch out for in the future.

#3 Ben Stokes

Stokes is England's most dependable player in crunch situations

Ben Stokes is having a terrific 2017 - he is the all-rounder that England has been awaiting ever since the retirement of Andrew Flintoff. His talent has been key to England's emergence as a fearsome ODI side.

He bats at No. 5 for England and has a solid technique. Stokes scored 616 runs from 15 ODIs, at an average of 62 and a strike rate of 107. He also took 14 wickets in 13 innings.

He is Eoin Morgan's go-to man in the death overs, both as batsman and bowler. He is a hard-hitter, as proven by his 24 sixes in 15 games, and an effective bowler. Injuries limited his ODI appearances in 2017.

#2 Hardik Pandya

Pandya is formidable as batsman and as bowler

India's prayers for a fast bowling all-rounder were answered in Hardik Pandya. He started his career as a medium pace bowler and pinch hitter, but the present day Pandya can clock 140 kmph and is a dependable No. 4.

The Baroda-based all-rounder has scored 485 runs and picked up 25 wickets from 22 games in 2017. He has a batting average of 44.09 and a strike rate of 123.09. He has scored 28 sixes, second to only Rohit Sharma.

This versatile cricketer who can bat anywhere in the line-up is certainly worthy of claiming this honour in 2017.

#1 Virat Kohli

One of India's most accomplished batsmen

This list would be incomplete without Virat Kohli. He captains India in all formats and is one of the most prolific batsmen to have ever played the game. He has scored over 1,000 ODI runs in a year five times in his career, and is hungry for more.

The Indian captain has scored a staggering 1,197 runs in the 23 innings that he played in 2017, at an average of 74.81 and a stunning strike-rate of 98.68. He has four 100s and seven 50s to his name, and is currently the No. 1 ODI batsman in the world.

With India to play six more ODIs in 2017, the odds of him finishing 2017 with the highest number of runs are high. He won this award in 2012, and is a sure contender for it this year.

Some near misses who impressed with solid performances this year are:

Rashid Khan: the promising new kid on the block

Rashid Khan

The 18-year-old spinner has taken the world by storm with his leg spin. He has troubled some of the top players, and is the crowning jewel of Afghanistan's cricket team. He played just 13 games this year, but his prowess as a leg spinner is phenomenal. He has taken 36 wickets in just 13 innings, at an average of 10.11 and a strike the of 15. At 3.94, his economy rate is mind-boggling.

Liam Plunkett

Liam Plunkett was England's key ODI bowler in 2017. He is the highest wicket-taker along with Rashid Khan. He picked up 36 wickets in 18 games, at an average of 22 and a strike rate of 24. He is a dependable batsman in the lower order, and also a brilliant fielder.