Sportskeeda's Top 10 Indian sportsmen of the year 2017

#2 Virat Kohli (Cricket)

2017 was the year of Virat Kohli in international cricket!

Surprise, surprise! Virat Kohli makes it to the second spot in this list after a phenomenal season with the bat and as captain of the Indian cricket team across all formats of the game. And like his football counterpart, he too rounded the year by tying the knot with Anushka Sharma to end what has been an incredible 2017 on a personal high.

The 29-year-old broke records left, right and centre over the course of the year and struck three double centuries, also overtaking the legendary Brian Lara for the record of most double tons as captain. While he was not at his best against Australia at home, Kohli finished the year as the fourth-highest run scorer in 2017 in Tests (1059 runs at 75.64).

In ODIs, he reigned supreme and cemented his status as the best batsman in the format, finishing with 1460 runs in the year at an incredible average of 76.84!

Under his captaincy, the Men in Blue remained unbeaten in all bilateral series at home and remained atop the world rankings in Tests over the year, with wins against Australia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In limited overs, India ended 2017 in second place in both ODIs and T20Is in the ICC rankings.

In a year of incredible highs for Kohli, two lows in the form of the crushing Champions Trophy defeat to Pakistan and the saga involving ex-coach Anil Kumble took the shine slightly off. However, 2017 still remains the year of Virat Kohli in international cricket!