Most Man of the Match awards: Virat Kohli bags 71st PoTM in Vadodara, nears Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time record | Cricket News

Virat Kohli’s super form surge has marked his dominant return to seemingly his old ways in the ODI format where centuries and fifties pinged off his bat at breakneck pace. Ever since falling for successive ducks in Australia in his first two matches for India after a break of seven months, the former India captain was primed to endure a struggle to get back to his form.
Still, Kohli bounced back in his inimitable way, carving centuries, winning games and walking away with the Player of the Match awards for his efforts. On Sunday, the 37-year-old bagged the 71st Player of the Match award of his epochal 558-match international career. Spanning 18 years of representing India across formats, it can be said that Kohli towers above the rest dinctly in the ODI format which has contributed well over 50 per cent of his PoTM awards.

Regering a match-winning 93 in Vadodara against New Zealand in the series opener, Kohli was awarded his 45th ODI Man of the Match award across 309 appearances. Kohli is second on the overall l, only behind the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s 76 awards during his career. Tendulkar, however, maintains a healthy lead when it comes to the ODI format which has contributed 62 of his total awards in international cricket. Sri Lanka legend Sanath Jayasuriya ranks second with 48 awards, three ahead of Kohli.
Kohli also delved into what he does with the brimming collection of trophies, revealing that he sends them home to his mother in Gurugram.
Player of the Match awards have been officially instituted in international cricket since the 1980s and does not officially account for nearly a century of games before that era.
Most Player of the Match awards in international cricket

Player
Span
Mat
Awards
Tests
ODIs
T20Is

Sachin Tendulkar (IND)
1989-2013
664
76
14
62
0

Virat Kohli (IND)
2008-2026
557
71
10
45
16

Sanath Jayasuriya (Asia/SL)
1989-2011
586
58
4
48
6

Jacques Kallis (Afr/ICC/SA)
1995-2014
519
57
23
32
2

Kumar Sangakkara (Asia/ICC/SL)
2000-2015
594
50
16
31
3

Ricky Ponting (AUS/ICC)
1995-2012
560
49
16
32
1

Shakib Al Hasan (BAN)
2006-2024
447
45
6
27
12

Rohit Sharma (IND)
2007-2026
506
45
4
27
14

Shahid Afridi (Asia/ICC/PAK)
1996-2018
524
43
0
32
11

Brian Lara (ICC/WI)
1990-2007
430
42
12
30
0