Cricket - India's Kohli named ICC Cricketer of the Year

Cricket - India v South Africa - Second Test match - Centurion Stadium, Pretoria, South Africa - January 15, 2018. India’s Virat Kohli plays a shot. REUTERS/James Oatway

MUMBAI (Reuters) - India captain Virat Kohli had something to cheer on Thursday when he was named ICC World Cricketer of the Year, a day after suffering his first test series defeat as skipper in South Africa.

The 29-year-old was rewarded for his prolific run in the qualification period from Sept. 2016 to the end of 2017 when he amassed 2,203 runs -- including eight centuries -- in tests, 1,818 in ODIs and 299 in Twenty20 internationals.