BCCI Awards: Gill, Deepti among winners; several other cricketers honored
Indian cricketers Shubman Gill and Deepti Sharma won the BCCI's prestigious Polly Umrigar Award on January 23. Gill and Deepti were adjudged India's best men's and women's international cricketers, respectively, during the 2022/23 season. The Naman Awards ceremony, which was held for the first time since 2019, honored several other cricketers. Ravi Shastri and Farokh Engineer were conferred with the lifetime achievement awards.
Gill scored over 1,300 international runs in 2022/23
Gill was India's highest run-scorer in international cricket in the 2022/23 season. He finished with 1,325 runs from 25 internationals at an average of 53.00. Gill was the only player to score more than five international tons in this period. His tally included six centuries and two half-centuries. In January 2023, Gill scripted history by slamming an ODI double-century, against New Zealand.
Deepti shone with her all-round attributes
All-rounder Deepti was the highest wicket-taker in T20I cricket in the 2022/2023. She picked up 34 wickets from 23 WT20Is at an incredible average of 14.50. No other player took over 20 wickets in this regard. Besides, she also scored 298 runs from 23 WT20Is at 33.11 in this period. The tally includes two half-centuries.
Best Indian cricketers from other two seasons
The BCCI also honored India's best cricketers from the previous two seasons. Bowlers Jasprit Bumrah, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Mohammed Shami were named the best international cricketers for the 2021/22, 2020/21, and 2019/20 seasons, respectively. Among women, Deepti was honored for the 2019/20 season, while senior opener Smriti Mandhana won the award for 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons.
First Indian pacer with this feat
It is worth noting that Bumrah first won the Polly Umrigar Award for India's best men's international cricketer in 2019, when the ceremony was last held. Therefore, he becomes the first Indian pacer to recieve this award twice.
Best international debut awards
Mayank Agarwal (2019/20), Axar Patel (2020/21), Shreyas Iyer (2021/22), and Yashasvi Jaiswal (2022/23) were the winners of the best international debut award. Among women, Priya Puniya (2019/20), Shafali Verma (2020/21), Sabbhineni Meghana (2021-22), and Amanjot Kaur (2022/23) won the award.
Shastri, Farokh receive lifetime achievement awards
As mentioned, Ravi Shastri and Farokh Engineer received the Col. C.K. Nayudu lifetime achievement awards. Shastri represented India in 80 Tests and 150 ODIs as an all-rounder before venturing into broadcasting and coaching. He was a part of India's 1983 World Cup-winning squad. Besides, legend Farokh is among the best wicketkeeper-batters in Test cricket. He played 46 Tests and 335 First-Class games.
Other notable awards from the event
Madhav Rao Scindia Award (Highest wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy): Jalaj Saxena (2022/23), Shams Mulani (2021/22), and Jaydev Unadkat (2019/20). Madhav Rao Scindia Award (Highest run-getter in Ranji Trophy): Mayank Agarwal (2022/23), Sarfaraz Khan (2021/22), and Rahul Dalal (2019/20). Lala Amarnath Award (Best all-rounder in domestic limited-overs competitions): Riyan Parag (2022/23), Rishi Dhawan (2021/22 and 2020/21), and Baba Aparajith (2019/20).
