India captain Shubman Gill, South Africa’s Wiaan Mulder, and England captain Ben Stokes were announced on Wednesday as the three nominees for the ICC’s Player of the Month award for July.
During the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, in which the 25-year-old obliterated batting records, Gill led India admirably as his young team emerged with a hard-fought 2-2 draw against England. In the series against England, Gill amassed 754 runs with four hundreds, including a double ton at 75.40, which broke the record of 732 runs for an Indian captain in a five-Test series held by the great Sunil Gavaskar. On the all-time list of captains, Gill’s returns rank second only to Sir Donald Bradman’s (810 runs).
“Shubman Gill had a sensational month, amassing 567 runs at an impeccable average of 94.50 in three Tests during India’s gripping series in England,” the ICC wrote on its website.
“He played a starring role in India’s record-breaking win at Edgbaston, where he scored a monumental 269 in the first innings followed by 161 in the second. His combined 430 runs across the two innings is the second highest tally, next only to Graham Gooch’s 456,” it added.
According to the ICC, Gill continued Virat Kohli’s legacy as the “all-time great” at number four.
“His consistency at No. 4, carrying on the baton from all-time great Virat Kohli, provided stability and flair in equal measure, and combined with his extraordinary captaincy in his debut series,” it said.
In his debut as South Africa captain, Wiaan Mulder smashed an unbeaten 367 against Zimbabwe but chose to declare the innings, passing up a chance to break Brian Lara’s iconic record of 400* set against England in 2004.
The ICC said, “He scored 531 runs across the two matches at an astonishing average of 265.50, including a composed 147 in the second innings of the first Test.” “However, his standout act came in the second Test at Bulawayo, where he smashed an unbeaten 367 in his maiden outing as South Africa’s Test skipper — the highest individual score in South African Test history.” “Mulder also chipped in with the ball, claiming seven wickets at just 15.28 apiece, including a four-wicket haul in the first Test,” it added.
Stokes’ performance against India was praised by the ICC, which said, “He scored 251 runs at an average of 50.20 and took 12 wickets at 26.33, delivering in high-pressure situations with both bat and ball.”
“His leadership proved crucial in maintaining England’s intensity and belief in a closely contested series. With ball in hand, he bowled long spells, often breaking key partnerships and turning the tide in England’s favour,” it added.
