Virat Kohli has been named the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 Player of the Tournament for his outstanding performance. Throughout the tournament, Kohli was a run-scoring machine with India’s number three scoring at least a half-century in nine of his 11 innings.

His 765 runs in the tournament is a new record, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s previous record of 673 in the 2003 tournament. Kohli finished with an average of 95.62 and a strike rate of 90.31 in the tournament, hitting three centuries along the way – against Bangladesh and South Africa in the league stage and then once more against New Zealand in the semi-finals.

Kohli broke Tendulkar’s long-standing record at Wankhede Stadium, home ground of ‘Little Master’, and said that it was a perfect moment to achieve this feat. “This all feels like a dream,” he said after his century steered India to the final. “If I could paint the perfect picture, I would want this to be the picture. My life partner, my hero Sachin, is sitting there.”

Unfortunately, Kohli finished his tournament with yet another half-century hitting 54 from 63 balls against Australia in the final but it proved to be vain as India missed out on victory, falling at the final hurdle.