India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has won the BCCI’s Polly Umrigar Award for Best International Cricketer 2023-24 in men’s category. Bumrah had a memorable. Bumrah took 71 wickets from 13 Tests and 15 scalps in eight T20Is last year besides a player-of-the-tournament award winning performance in India’s title winning run at the T20 World Cup. He also became the fifth ever Indian player to win the ICC Cricketer of the Year award.
Besides that, he also won ICC Test Cricketer of the Year Award for the year 2024.
Bumrah also won Player of the Series award for his excellent performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia where he took 32 wickets across five Tests.
At the start of 2024, the right-arm pacer played a key role in India’s 4-1 win over England in a five-match Test series at home.
Towards the end of the Australia tour though Bumrah suffered from back spasms and has since been out of action. He’s though expected to make his competitive return during the home ODI series against England.
The 31-year-old is also part of India’s Champions Trophy squad.
Meanwhile, star India batter Smriti Mandhana won the women cricketer of the year award.
Mandhana made 747 runs in ODIs during 2024. The 28-year-old scored four ODI centuries, a record in women’s cricket and won the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year award.
Sarfaraz Khan won the best international debut award in men’s cricket while Asha Sobhana won the corresponding award in women’s cricket.
The event was attended by top India cricketers including Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma among others alongside legends cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar.
The members of India’s T20 World Cup winning squad were also presented with a commemorative rings.
BCCI president Roger Binny, ICC chairman Jay Shah, BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla were among the high-profile officials who were part of the event.
Source: News18