Shubman Gill named ICC Men's Player of Month for September

Dubai: India rising star Shubman Gill is the ICC Men's Player of the Month for September 2023 after dominating a stretch of ODIs ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday revealed the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award recipient for September 2023 following an action-packed month of cricket.

Gill held off teammate Mohammed Siraj and England opener Dawid Malan to claim the award after compiling 480 ODI runs at an average of 80 during September.

The opener made the most runs at the Asia Cup with 302 at an average of 75.5, including an unbeaten 27 not out as India crushed Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in the final.

Gill backed up his strong tournament form with 178 runs in two innings against Australia as India fine-tuned for the Cricket World Cup on home soil, an ICC report said.

The right-hander smashed a century against Australia (104) in the second of those ODIs, after reaching three figures against Bangladesh (121) during the Asia Cup for two tons in September.

Gill also scored three half-centuries last month and was only dismissed for less than fifty on two occasions from eight innings in that time.

The 24-year-old has an incredible record in ODIs with 1917 runs in 35 matches at an average of 66.1 and at a strike rate of 102.84, and is No.2 in the ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings.

Gill has missed India’s opening matches of the Cricket World Cup due to illness but looms as pivotal to the hosts’ chances of lifting the trophy for the first time since 2011. (UNI)