MS Dhoni, Alastair Cook deserve to be captains; Virat Kohli lost out to Hashim Amla

While Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Alastair Cook deserve to lead the International Cricket Council's ODI and Test teams of the year, respectively, the absence of Virat Kohli from the many lists announced by the ICC in Mumbai on Tuesday would have caused some heartbreak to Indian fans. While Dhoni is India's must successful skipper, Cook remains England's best not only with some solid performances but with his ability to hold a high-profile team together. Picking world XIs has always been a debatable affair, so the ICC left it to a specially-appointed panel chaired by the its Cricket Committee chairman and former India captain Anil Kumble. Former captains Waqar Younis (Pakistan), Alec Stewart (England), Graeme Pollock (South Africa) and Catherine Campbell (New Zealand) complete the elite line-up. Kohli's omission will now be a matter of great debate but it is not completely without logic. (Kohli can emulate Sachin: Donald)

Although the teams are on paper, the recognition confirms the authority and respect players have garnered over a specific period of time. Dhoni figures in the ODI team for the sixth straight year while Cook appears in the Test team for the third year in-a-row. Dhoni also figures in the Test team but it is not the case with the England captain, who led his team in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy in June this year. (Dhoni named People's Choice player of the year)

The ICC post-mortems players' performances from August 2012 to August 2013. While Kohli's absence from the ODI team comes as a major surprise - the Delhi batsman is currently the leading ODI batsman in the world - most players automatically select themselves. However, there is always a fine line that separates the grain from the chaff and Kumble accepts this reality as chief of selectors. (Anderson, Clarke, Amla lead ICC short-lists)

"It is always tough to decide on the Test and ODI teams of the year, with so many worthy candidates to consider based on the players' performances between 7 August 2012 and 25 August 2013. The selection panel had a lengthy debate on all the top performers during the performance period and a number of combinations were considered," explained Kumble.

"The selectors did utilise a vast amount of statistics from the period under observation, but we also took into account other factors like the opposition, pitch conditions, match situation and the like. But when you have only 12 places to fill from a big group of world-class players, there will always be a few who will miss out. In the panel's expert opinion, it has selected the best Test and ODI Teams," Kumble said.

Probably it has. It is clear that Kumble and team considered the best players as per their batting positions. In such a scenario, Kohli, who bats at No.3 for India, was 'competing' against South African Hashim Amla. Both Kohli and Amla have scored an identical two centuries and three fifties during the period in consideration. While Amla played 19 ODIs, Kohli turned out in 23, even leading India in West Indies and Zimbabwe after Dhoni chose to take a break after the ICC Champions Trophy in June this year. Then what tipped the scales in Amla's favour?

Purely from a number of runs scored point of view, there is not much to differentiate but cricket is not only about runs accumulated. Amla's scores have against better quality attacks and of course, higher-ranked teams and on more challenging wickets. He scored a 150 versus England at Southampton, followed it up with an unbeaten 97 at Nottingham in August 2012. His second ton - a 122 at Johannesburg - came against Pakistan in March 2013. In June this year during the Champions Trophy, he scored a defiant 81 in Birmingham's damp and seaming conditions against a Pakistani attack. Coming as they did against quality bowlers like James Anderson, Graeme Swann, Steven Finn, Mohammed Irfan, Wahab Riaz and Saeed Ajmal, the ICC selectors obviously rated Amla's performance higher than Kohli's.

Both Kohli hundreds came in July on back-to-back tours of West Indies and Zimbabwe. Kohli skippered India in Dhoni's absence and shouldered the team's responsibilities admirably. But the fact that West Indies and Zimbabwe rank poorly in the ICC's ranking list have only under-valued Kohli's runs. So Kohli's absence from the ODI Team of the Year XI is therefore not without reason or logic.

Known for raising the bar when it comes to big challenges, Kohli will be hungry to prove a point when the three-match ODI series against South Africa starts at the Wanderers on Thursday. He has been in great form this season and with India playing against top teams overseas in the next 12 months, Kohli will have a lot to show to Kumble and Company.