'Came here when I was 14...' - Shubman Gill reacts after winning the Polly Umrigar Award
Shubman Gill has been among the best batters in India in the last year or so. He has been piling on runs consistently across formats, especially in the 50-over format. His dream run continued for a prolonged period of time, including his maiden World Cup.
Shubman Gill was India’s leading run-scorer across formats in 2023, showing his true potential in world cricket. He amassed 2154 runs at an average of 46.82 in 52 innings last year. Gill also accumulated ten fifties and seven centuries, with the highest score of 208* against New Zealand.
His best performance came in ODIs, and Gill top-scored in the format overall in 2023. The 24-year-old made 1584 runs at a marvellous average of 63.36 and a strike rate of 105.45 in 29 ODI outings. It also included nine fifties and five centuries, including a double century.
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Gill’s contributions attracted numerous accolades from experts all around the globe. He had big shoes of Shikhar Dhawan to fill at the top. It’s fair to say Gill did a tremendous job of surpassing all the expectations, filling Dhawan’s void brilliantly.
Shubman Gill shares a special message after winning the Polly Umrigar Award
The BCCI organised an award ceremony, NAMAN, to honour the players from both men’s and women’s teams for their immense contributions to taking Indian cricket to newer heights. It included awards for more than one year. Several players took part in the function.
Shubman Gill won the coveted Polly Umrigar Award for being India’s best male player during the 2022-23 season. Dipti Sharma won a similar award from the women’s cricket section. After winning the award, Gill shared a special message on his Instagram account, reflecting on his journey.
“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”, wrote Gill in his post.
Gill also shared his picture with Virat Kohli from 2014, when Kohli won the award. It has indeed been a terrific last 12 months or so for Gill. He will hope to improve further and seal his spot in Tests and T20Is.
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