Shubman Gill and Deepti Sharma have received the BCCI awards for top men’s and women’s international cricketers in the 2022-23 season.
Gill, who received the renowned Polly Umrigar Award for the first time in his career, demonstrated his exceptional form, notably in ODIs, when he topped the world rankings with an outstanding total of 1418 runs at an average of 64.45, including five hundreds.
Deepti Sharma, on the other hand, won the women’s prize for the second time in a row, adding to her prior honour from the 2019-20 season.
Following a break in announcing awards, the BCCI has recently rectified this by naming winners for the previous four seasons in a single announcement. Mohammed Shami and Deepti were honoured for 2019-20, R Ashwin and Smriti Mandhana for 2020-21, and Jasprit Bumrah and Mandhana again for 2021-22.
Shubman Gill’s outstanding year propelled him from a potential prospect to an international cricket sensation. His amazing run in ODIs includes a world-leading 1418 runs, five centuries, and a double-century against New Zealand at Hyderabad. Gill also made major contributions in Tests and Twenty20 Internationals, amassing 387 runs at 35.18 in seven Tests and 304 runs at 146.85 in eleven T20Is.
Deepti Sharma was instrumental in India’s winning efforts in the Women’s Asia Cup and Asian Games, particularly in Twenty20 Internationals. As an offspinner, she collected 38 wickets in T20Is, the fifth most in the globe during the award period, with an average of 14.81 and an economy rate of 5.71. Deepti also contributed significantly with the bat, scoring 313 runs, including two half-centuries, for an average of 28.45. Her remarkable run continued into the 2023-24 domestic season, when India defeated England and Australia in one-off Tests in Mumbai.
Former India player Ravi Shastri and Farokh Engineer were honoured with the BCCI’s lifetime achievement award, which was fitting given their successful careers. Farokh Engineer earned the lifetime achievement award for the year 2019-2020..
Shastri, known for his versatility as both a hitter and a left-arm finger-spinner, scored 3830 Test runs at an average of 35.79 and took 151 wickets at 40.96. Following his playing career, Shastri smoothly transitioned into TV commentary, where he became a respected voice noted for his sharp analysis and lively flair.
Shastri, who coached the Indian men’s team from 2014 to 2016 and again from 2017 to 2021, was instrumental in India’s rise to dominance across formats and conditions, including historic Test series victories in Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21.
