Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and women’s cricketer Smriti Mandhana were named the Leading Cricketers in the World in the 2019 edition of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack published on Tuesday.
Kohli has won the honour for an unprecedented third year in a row while it’s the first time Smriti has won the honour. Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan was named the Leading T20 cricketer for the second year in a row.
Kohli was also named as one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year alongside English cricketers Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Rory Burns and Tammy Beaumont.
Congratulations to the Wisden Five Cricketers of the Year 2019.@Tammy_Beaumont @roryburns17 @josbuttler @CurranSM @imVkohli #wisden2019 #Cricket https://t.co/UbTUV0WYKX pic.twitter.com/ZuDaYnuOvo
— Wisden Almanack (@WisdenAlmanack) April 10, 2019
Buttler and Curran starred in England's series wins over Australia and India in 2018. Rory Burns meanwhile led Surrey to the English Championship while Tammy Beaumont excelled for the English Women's cricket team.
Wisden has been awarding cricketers since 1889 and it is considered one of the most prestigious honours in the sport. Kohli scored 2,735 runs across the three formats in 2018 while Smriti scored 669 and 682 runs in ODIs and T20s respectively. The left-hander also excelled in the Women's Super League scoring 421 runs at a strike rate of 174.68. She also scored a T20 century during this run.