Kohli, who scored only 134 runs during India's previous tour of England in 2014, amassed 593 runs in his side's five-test series last year at an average of over 59 to book his place on the list.
"Despite finishing on the losing side, India captain Virat Kohli shone with the bat, laying to rest his struggles in England in 2014," Wisden editor Lawrence Booth said.
"His test batting, especially in England, was magnificent, while his 50-over form moved to a new level, if that was possible."
Kohli, who also won the ICC's cricketer, test and one-day international player of the year awards in January, scored 2,735 runs across all three international formats in 2018 at an average of 68.37, which included 11 centuries.
India's Smriti Mandhana, who scored 1,291 runs in limited overs, was named the Leading Cricketer in the women's game while Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan was named the Leading Twenty20 Cricketer for the second consecutive year.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)
