Indian star batter Virat Kohli has been nominated for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award, while Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma made the cut for the Women’s Player of the Month category on Thursday.
The lineup for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month features three superstars from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia. India’s talisman Virat Kohli is nominated following his heroics with the bat, most notably in the win against arch-rivals Pakistan as read in a statement released by ICC. South Africa’s David Miller impressed in the lead-up to the tournament, and continued his sparkling form in Australia, including during his side’s victory over India to secure his place in the list.
Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe completes the lineup and seeks to reclaim the award he won in August thanks to a series of Player of the Match performances in the opening stages of the T20 World Cup.
In the ICC Women’s Player of the Month category, Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma are named on the shortlist following their Asia Cup heroics for India.
Rodrigues ended the tournament as the leading run-scorer while teammate Sharma was named Player of the Tournament and joint-leading wicket-taker.
Nida Dar is the final candidate in contention for claiming the award for October as her handy contributions with bat and ball drove Pakistan to the semi-finals of the same event. An independent ICC Voting Academy and fans worldwide can now vote to decide the winners, which will be announced next week.
Kohli is nominated for the very first time in the ICC Player of the Month awards, and while registering 205 runs across the calendar month, he showed glimpses of his very best form. He looked at ease in scoring an unbeaten 62 against the dogged Netherlands, however, his highlight came in the era-defining innings played in front of a full house in Melbourne as his side claimed a historic victory against rivals Pakistan. The iconic display saw Kohli rally his side from 31 for four to chasing down the 160 target on the final ball, thanks to an unforgettable score of 82 not out from 53 balls.
Like Kohli, Miller is also named on the men’s shortlist for the very first time, and he started the month in the bilateral series against India, scoring 117 runs across three ODIs and 125 runs in two T20Is, including a brutal knock of 106 not out in 79 balls in Guwahati. This blistering form was carried into the T20 World Cup where his most significant contribution during the month came in the successful run chase against the same opposition on a challenging Perth track. His unbeaten 59 was crucial to seeing his side over the line after losing quick wickets early, further outlining his credentials as a big game player for South Africa.
