Virat-Kohli. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Virat Kohli registered a landslide victory over Lionel Messi to become the Pubity Athlete Of The Year 2023. The former India captain won in the final voting count by a 78-22 margin, defeating the Argentine football stalwart.
For the unversed, Pubity is an online community, with over 20 channels. They have over 35 million followers on their official Instagram account. Their subsidiary channel – Pubity Sport organised a voting system allowing fans to pick the athlete of the year. Some of the sportspersons in the poll, apart from Kohli and Messi, were Cristiano Ronaldo, Novak Djokovic, Pat Cummins, LeBron James, Erling Haaland, and Max Verstappen.
One athlete was pitted against another in a knockout format. Eventually, it came down to Messi versus Kohli in the summit clash. The right-handed batter went on to win by a comprehensive margin to bag the honours.
2023 was a sensational year for Kohli. He finished as the second-highest run-getter in international cricket, falling only 106 runs behind top-scorer Shubman Gill. However, it is important to note that Kohli didn’t play a single T20I fixture in 2023. The Delhi batter was in impeccable form during the 2023 ODI World Cup. He scored a whopping 765 runs in 11 innings, finishing as the highest run-getter in a single edition of the marquee event.
Kohli was recently seen in action in the first Test between India and South Africa. In the first innings, he scored 38 and followed it up with a 76-run knock in the second. India lost the match by an innings and 32 runs to go 0-1 down in the two-match series. The second Test begins on Wednesday, January 3, in Cape Town.
Messi, on the other hand, won the Ballon d’Or in 2023 after leading Argentina to a third FIFA World Cup triumph in 2022. In the showpiece event, he scored seven goals and assisted thrice, winning the prestigious Golden Ball for his efforts. He also helped his former club Paris Saint-Germain win the Ligue 1 title in the 2022-2023 season, netting 41 goals and pulling off as many assists.