Virat Kohli, Smriti Mandhana Named Wisden's Leading Cricketers Of 2018 

Virat Kohli and Smriti Mandhana, the top scorer in women's One-day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) since the start of last year, have been named Wisden's Leading Cricketers of the year 2018. Tammy Beaumont, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler and Sam Curran were also chosen alongside Virat Kohli by the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack as the five Cricketers of the Year for their performances last year. The winners were announced with the release of the 156th edition of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack on Wednesday. The Almanack was first introduced in 1889 to recognise excellence of players who have performed in England during the previous summer. 

Virat Kohli, who became the first player in history to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year, the ICC Men's Test Player of the Year and the ICC ODI Player of the Year awards, was also named Wisden's Leading Cricketer of the Year for an "unprecedented" third year in a row.

"Despite finishing on the losing side, India captain Virat Kohli shone with the bat, laying to rest his struggles in England in 2014 by scoring a magnificent 593 runs in five Tests, a full 244 more than his nearest rival on either side," the Almanack read. 

"Virat Kohli wins (Leading Cricketer of the Year) for an unprecedented third year in a row, scoring 2,735 runs across the international formats - more than 700 clear of Joe Root in second place. His Test batting, especially in England, was magnificent, while his 50-over form moved to a new level - if that was possible," it added.

Afghanistan's Rashid Khan was named the Leading Twenty20 Cricketer of the Year for the second year running.