ICC nominates Shubman Gill, Mohammed Siraj for Player of the Month award after stunning display in January

Gill and Siraj played a key role in India's white-ball series wins over Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj | BCCIThe International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday (February 7) nominated India batter Shubman Gill for the player of the month award for January.

Apart from Gill, India pacer Mohammed Siraj and New Zealand opener Devon Conway have also been shortlisted for the month of January in the men's category.

Gill was handed his maiden T20I cap in the first T20I against Sri Lanka on January 3 in Mumbai, where he managed just seven, before another single-digit score in the second game in Pune followed. His steady 46 in the third T20I in Rajkot set up India’s series-clinching win.

Gill then registered scores of 70, 21 and 116 in the three ODI against the island nation, but it was his breathtaking display in the white-ball series against New Zealand that stole the show. The right-hander registered scores of 208, 40* and 112 in three ODIs while he slammed 126 off 63 balls in the series-deciding third T20I.

In recent times, Mohammed Siraj has spearheaded India’s fast-bowling attack with distinction in ODIs. As a result, he has also achieved the No.1 position in the ICC ODI bowling rankings.

Siraj returned 2/30 from seven overs in a high-scoring first ODI against Sri Lanka in Guwahati and followed it up with figures of 3/30 and 4/32 in his next two outings respectively to finish as the leading wicket-taker in the series. The right-arm pacer then picked 4/46 from 10 overs in a high-scoring thriller against New Zealand in Hyderabad, before returning a scarcely believable 6-1-10-1 in a brilliant opening burst in the second ODI in Raipur.

Devon Conway has had a fine start to the year, with three hundreds and two fifties across formats in January. Conway slammed 122 in the first innings of the second Test against Pakistan in Karachi, before registering scores of 0, 101 and 52 to script New Zealand’s 2-1 ODI series win in Pakistan.

During the India tour, the southpaw returned with knocks of 10, 7, 138, 51, 11 and 1 in the six white-ball games.

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 07 Feb, 2023

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