Shubman Gill named ICC Men’s Player of the Month for September 2023 ahead of IND vs PAK 2023 World Cup
India opening batter Shubman Gill has been named ICC Men’s Player of the Month for September 2023 ahead of the Indo-Pak World Cup match.
The right-handed batter beat teammate Mohammed Siraj and England’s Dawid Malan to claim the award. He amassed 480 runs in ODIs at an average of 80 during September.
Gill scored 302 runs in the 2023 Asia Cup at an average of 75.5, including one ton and two half-centuries, with the best score of 121 against Bangladesh in Colombo. The 24-year-old followed that up with 178 runs in two innings against Australia, including 104 in Indore. Overall, Gill has amassed 1917 runs in 35 matches at an average of 66.1 so far.
The World No. 2 batter, though, missed the first two World Cup matches against Australia and Afghanistan.
Chamari Attapaththu named ICC Women's Player of the Month
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Women captain Chamari Attapaththu has been named as the ICC's Women's Player of the Month for September. She beat South Africa's Laura Wolvaardt and Nadine de Klerk to claim the award.
Attapaththu amassed 208 runs and scalped five wickets across formats last month during the white-ball series against England and the 2023 Asian Games. She was also adjudged Player of the Series in a three-match T20I series against England for compiling 114 runs, including scores of 55 and 44, and taking five wickets.
“Hopefully, he will be ready for the India vs Pakistan game” – Yuvraj Singh on Shubman Gill
Former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh has backed Shubman Gill to play the high-anticipated India vs Pakistan match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 14. He recently told ANI:
"Shubham Gill ko maine tagda kar diya hai [I have strengthened Shubham Gill]. I told him that I had played in the World Cup while battling cancer, so I got ready quickly to join the team.”
He continued:
“Hopefully, he will be ready for the India vs Pakistan game. When you have a fever and dengue, it is really tough to play a cricket match, and I have experienced that. So, I hope that if he is fit, then he will definitely play."
Gill has joined the India squad and began practicing after recovering from illness (dengue). He has returned with scores of 10 and 58 in his two outings against Pakistan during the 2023 Asia Cup and will now look to deliver in the World Cup game.