Shubman Gill was honored with the prestigious Polly Umrigar award for the best men's cricketer of the year for 2023 at the BCCI Awards on January 23, 2024, in Hyderabad.
The Punjab batter had an excellent outing in 2023, wherein ODIs, made 1584 runs at an average of 63.36 and a strike rate of 105.45 in 29 One Day International (ODI) matches, which included five centuries. This also included his highest score of 208 against New Zealand.
He also became the fastest batter to 2000 ODIs runs during the ICC World Cup 2023. In all in 2023, Gill made 2154 runs combined in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is, at an average of 46.82 and strike rate of over 100. He hit a total of 7 centuries and 10 fifties.
In the IPL, Gill continued to shine, playing for the Gujarat Titans. He won the Orange Cap for scoring 890 runs, the second-highest total in a single IPL season, with three centuries to his name.
Shubman Gill shared his emotions after winning the award on Instagram and also recalled how seeing Virat Kohli, his idol, winning the award a few years back was a motivation for him.
“So much nostalgia, from coming here when I was 14 and meeting my idols and legends for the first time. Watching Virat bhai win cricketer of the year was something I would never forget. Pure motivation for me to go a step further and give everything for my country this year,” Gill posted on Instagram.
