Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has been appointed as the captain as six Indian players have made into the Men’s ODI Team of the Year for 2023 by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Apart from Rohit, the other five Indian players in the team are Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav. On the other hand Travis Head and Adam Zampa are the only two Australian players in the ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year as the 2023 ODI World Cup winning captain Pat Cummins missed out.
Rohit Sharma has done a tremendous job as both batter and the skipper for the Indian team last year by becoming the third-highest run-getter of the year with 1255 runs from 27 matches at an average of 52.29. Under his captaincy, India went on to win the 2023 Asia Cup and finished as the runners-up in the ODI World Cup in front of their home crowd. Rohit also led from the front in the World Cup as he finished as the second-highest run scorer of the tournament with 597 runs from 11 matches.
It has been memorable for the young Indian batter Shubman Gill who finished as the leading run scorer in the ODI format in the year 2023. The 24-year-old finished the year with 1584 runs from 29 matches averaging 63.36 in the 50-over format. On the other hand, ace Indian batter Virat Kohli had a great year with 1377 runs from 27 matches in ODIs in 2023, along with the record-breaking World Cup campaign where he scored most runs by any player in a single edition of the tournament. Kohli amassed a record 765 runs in the 2023 World Cup at an average of 85.62 with three centuries and six centuries. The 35-year-old also reached the milestone of 50 ODI tons during the World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in Mumbai.
Indian pace duo of Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami also had a great outing in the ODI format in 2023. Siraj registered his career-best figures of 6/21 as he completely destroyed the Sri Lankan team in the 2023 Asia Cup final in Colombo as they were bowled out for just 50 runs. He has shown consistent performance with the ball throughout the year. On the other hand, Shami showed a breathtaking form in the ODI World Cup as he finished as the top wicket taker of the tournament even after missing the first four games. The right-arm pacer scalped 24 wickets from just seven matches in the World Cup at an average of 10.70 and an economy rate of 5.26. Shami recorded the best figures by an Indian player in the ODI format as he took 7 wickets by conceding 57 runs in the semi-final against New Zealand in Mumbai and helped India to enter the World Cup final.
Talking about Australian players, Travis Head and Adam Zampa had a great year in 2023. Leg spinner Zampa has been a consistent performer for Australia in the ODIs last year, and also finished as the second-highest wicket in the 2023 World Cup with 23 scalps from 11 games. On the other hand, Travis Head showed his importance in crucial matches as he scored a match-winning hundred in the World Cup final in Ahmedabad as Australia defeated the hosts India to win their sixth title.
Let’s have a look at ICC Men’s ODI Team of the year 2023:
Rohit Sharma (c) (India), Shubman Gill (India), Travis Head (Australia), Virat Kohli (India), Daryl Mitchell (New Zealand), Heinrich Klaasen (wk) (South Africa), Marco Jansen (South Africa), Adam Zampa (Australia), Mohammed Siraj (India), Kuldeep Yadav (India) and Mohammed Shami (India).