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Virat Kohli wins Ceat International Cricketer of the Year award
India's top batsman Virat Kohli won the Ceat International Cricketer of the Year award, while off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, the fastest player from the country to pick 100 Test wickets, bagged the Indian Player of the Year award for 2013-14.
Left-handed opener Shikhar Dhawan was named the International Player of the Year while Robin Uthappa, who was part of the triumphant Karnataka Ranji Trophy team, clinched the Domestic Cricketer of the Year honour, at a function in Mumbai.
Kohli won the best player award in 2011-12 too.
"It's good to see an Indian (Kohli) win the main award again and that he has won it for the second time at such a young age should inspire other youngsters also to win the coveted award," said former India skipper and chief adjudicator of Ceat Cricket Rating, Sunil Gavaskar.
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Johnson won the Test Player of the Year
Australian Mitchell Johnson, who was instrumental in his country winning the Ashes Series in overwhelming fashion at home, and compatriot Glenn Maxwell received the Test Player of the Year and Popular Choice awards respectively, while Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was named the T20 Player of the Year.
India's under-19 cricketer Vijay Zol won the Young Player of the Year award while yesteryear stumper Syed Kirmani, one of the finest behind the stumps who was also part of the 1983 World Cup-winning team, was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
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It's all about creating doubt in batsman's mind
VVS Laxman, after giving the award to Ashwin, noted that when he first saw the latter in a Duleep Trophy game in 2007 he never thought the lanky Chennai bowler would go on to play Test cricket for India.
"I thought him as a one day bowler, but he improved as a bowler, increased his variations. He's a smart man and he has 4-5 variations, but the important thing is when to use them. Sometimes that goes against him," said the former Test batsman.
Ashwin, asked by compeer and former Pakistan batsman Rameez Raja why off-spinners like him tend to bowl round the wicket to right-handed batsmen, said it was primarily to create doubts.
"Nowadays the batsmen play right as well as right handed with the switch hits and reverse sweeps etc. They play 360 degrees and bowling round the wicket, I feel, creates some doubt as it brings in a new angle (into the picture)," he said.
Ashwin said the same on why he sometimes stops before delivering the ball.
"It's all about creating doubt (in the batsman's mind). Some batsmen come hard at you. But I have not used this (stop and bowl) for quite some time now," he said, about a tactic he has used in the past and got criticised by experts.
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'It takes a lot to play well consistently'
Utthappa, after receiving the award, said he is on the right track after becoming the highest scorer in IPL7 with ten scores of 40 and above.
"I think it wouldn't have been so sweet if we hadn't won (the IPL title). In one game we lost six wickets for two runs and each of us was hurt after that," he said. He also praised domestic cricket for its intensity.
"We play a game every week and also travel. It can be pretty challenging. It takes a lot to play well consistently at that level which is one step below international cricket," he said.
Maxwell, who had regaled the just-ended IPL with his six-hitting spree and had scored three 90s in the tournament, received the honour from former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar.