Indian Test captain Virat Kohli has been named the winner of the Polly Umrigar award for BCCI’s international cricketer of the year, while Mithali Raj was picked for the top women’s award in the BCCI annual honours to be given away on January 5 in Mumbai.
Kohli
Under Kohli, the Indian team ended a 22-year wait for a series win on Sri Lankan soil before battering world No 1 South Africa to give them their first overseas loss in nine years. The right-hander has done well with the bat too, scoring 640 runs in 15 Test innings that he played at an average of 42.67. In his 20 ODI outings this year, Kohli managed 623 runs at an average of 36.65.
Mithali
Mithali, on the other hand, became the first Indian woman and second overall to complete 5,000 runs in the ODI format this year. Mithali will be presented with the MA Chidambaram Trophy for the best women’s cricketer.
Other Awards
- In other awards, former wicket keeper Syed Kirmani will be presented the Colonel CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award.
- The Karnataka State Cricket Association has been chosen the state association of the year for achieving the treble of winning the Ranji Trophy, Irani Cup and Vijay Hazare Trophy in the season.
- Karnataka all-rounder Robin Uthappa has been picked for the Madhavrao Scindia Award for being the highest run-scorer in Ranji Trophy. Uthappa scored 912 runs in 11 matches, averaging 50.66.
- The top wicket-taker’s award is being shared this year by Karnataka’s R Vinay Kumar and Mumbai’s Shardul Thakur, both of whom scalped 48 in the previous season.
