The ICC player of the month award will be given shortly and there are currently nine players shortlisted, with 4 from the Indian cricket team alone.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced a new award called the Player of the Month award. In this, the best performances of both male and female cricketers across all formats of international cricket throughout the year will be recognised. An independent ICC Voting Academy comprising former players, broadcasters and journalists (global) will team up with fans to vote for the winners. Four players from the Indian cricket team are part of the ICC Player of the Month award. Apart from R Ashwin, Rishabh Pant, T Natarajan and Mohammed Siraj, the other players who have been nominated by the ICC for the 'Player of the Month' award are Steve Smith, Joe Root, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Marizanne Kapp and Nadine de Klerk.
It is expected that the Indian cricket team player will win the ICC Player of the Month award due to their splendid exploits in Australia. Rishabh Pant was the star for his brilliant 97 in Sydney and an unbeaten 89* in Brisbane that allowed India to end Australia's 32-year dominance at The Gabba. R Ashwin had the better of Steve Smith on three occasions and he battled through the pain to share a 256-ball stand with Hanuma Vihari to draw the Sydney Test. In Brisbane, Mohammed Siraj picked up his maiden five-wicket haul after he was promoted to the leader of the attack following a spate of injuries. T Natarajan impressed on debut in all three formats as India's talent pool showed their depth in the series.
1. R Ashwin
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Ravichandran Ashwin had gotten the better of Steve Smith, Australia's premier and the world's best Test batsman three times in the series. In Adelaide and Melbourne, Ashwin had a measure of Steve Smith. In Sydney, Ashwin showed his true class with a magnificent rearguard display in which he batted with Hanuma Vihari for 42 overs battling injury as India managed to save the Sydney Test. (Image credit: Twitter)
2. Rishabh Pant
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Heavily criticised prior to the Australia tour, Rishabh Pant ensured that he became the mainstay in the batting when he blasted 97 in Sydney to give India an improbable win. In Brisbane, his unbeaten 89* helped India win the match and end Australia's 32-year dominance in Brisbane. (Image credit: BCCI Twitter)
3. Mohammed Siraj
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The injuries in the Indian cricket team on the tour to Australia were such that Mohammed Siraj went from making his debut in the Melbourne Test to being the leader of the attack in Brisbane two Tests later. Siraj managed to take the only five-wicket haul by an Indian bowler in the series as India won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in grand style. (Image credit: Twitter)
4. T Natarajan
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T Natarajan made his debut in all three formats against Australia and in every game, he showed his mettle. His dismissals of Matthew Wade and Marnus Labuschagne helped India turn the Brisbane Test around. (Image credit: Twitter)
5. Joe Root
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He scored nearly 50 percent of the total team runs. His double century and century against Sri Lanka ensured England won for the sixth consecutive time in Sri Lanka. Joe Root was clearly dominant. (Image credit: Twitter)
6. Steve Smith
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Steve Smith had an ordinary series by his own admission against India with 313 runs at an average of 44, but his century in Sydney and his two fifties showed that Australia's reliance on him was simply too much. (Image credit: Twitter)
7. Rahmanullah Gurbaz
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Rahmanullah Gurbaz became the first Afghanistan player to hit a century on ODI debut and he also hit nine sixes which are the most in a debut inning. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the main reason why Afghanistan got the better of Ireland 3-0 in the ODI series. (Image credit: Twitter)
8. Nadine de Klerk
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Nadine de Klerk has impressed for South Africa with her all-round show in the recent series against Pakistan as the Protea women's cricket team took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. (Image credit: Twitter)
9. Marizanne Kapp
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Marizanne Kapp smashed 68 and took three wickets in a brilliant all-round display as South Africa dominated Pakistan in the ongoing series. (Image credit: Twitter)
10. Nida Dar
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Nida Dar has been one of the best players from Pakistan, becoming one of the few players to reach 1000 ODI runs. In the previous match, she stitched a valiant stand with Diana Baig but Pakistan lost the match by 13 runs. (Image credit: Twitter)
