Team India has given all their effort in the last year of cricketing action, as they have held on to the best rankings ever. The CEAT Awards gives players the appreciation they deserve for their contributions. With the Aussies exceeding them in tests, they hold the No. 1 ranking in the ODI and T20I formats under the reign of skipper Rohit.
In the valiant efforts of the team, Rohit Sharma and co. led India to their first World Cup final for the first time since 2011. The World Cup returned to the home country, and India proceeded to the finals after two semi-final exits in 2015 and 2019.
Though India could not lift their third World Cup and first under skipper Sharma, they did keep up their morale and determination high enough to lead them into the finals of the T20 World Cup, which was held months later in the United States. Many players played an immense role and contributed to their famous victory and unbeaten record in the World Cup until the final loss and the T20 World Cup title triumph.
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Let’s take a look at the Indian players who were awarded at the CEAT Awards:
Virat Kohli was named the ODI Cricketer of the Year.
Legendary Indian cricketer Virat Kohli, known as the best of the generation, is often considered the greatest in white-ball cricket. Kohli during the World Cup in 2023, scored 700+ runs and set several records.
Kohli has the most runs in a single edition of the World Cup in the history of the game. Virat Kohli, the home World Cup in 2023, went on to score a stunning 765 runs for the Indian team in 11 matches, going past Sachin Tendulkar’s 20-year-long record since the 2002 World Cup, where India too faced a crushing defeat at the hands of the Aussies in the finals.
Virat is now also the second-highest run-getter in the history of the World Cup, going past Ricky Ponting (1743) with 52 more runs. Kohli has scored 1795 runs in the format, and to go past Sachin Tendulkar (2278) the modern maestro would need to feature in the next World Cup and score as many as 484 runs to set the record in his own name.
Shreyas Iyer won the Star Sports T20 Leadership Award.
Iyer won the T20 Leadership Award for leading two IPL franchises into the finals, first by any player, a feat not achieved by the greats MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma. It was under Shreyas’ captaincy that the Delhi Capitals went to the finals back in 2020, and for the second time, he led the Kolkata Knight Riders to a trolling win in the IPL 2024.
Mohammad Shami was chosen as the Best ODI Bowler of the Year.
Veteran Indian white ball pacer Mohammad Shami, who has closed in on 200 ODI wickets, has not played since the last World Cup due to his extended tenure of injury.
The fine pacer bowled efficiently in the last World Cup as he picked a record 24 wickets in just 7 appearances, only behind the likes of Mitchell Starc (27) and Glenn McGrath (26). Shami is also India’s highest World Cup wicket-taker, as he has 55 wickets in 18 World Cup matches, with which he is placed fifth in the list of highest wicket takers.
Yashasvi Jaiswal won the Best Test batter of the year.
Jaiswal, India’s young sensation who has stunned all with his performance in the longest format of the game, won the Best Test batter award. This would surely boost his confidence for the upcoming year of cricket action that awaits him with the home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand and then later in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Ravi Ashwin won the Best Test batter in the year
Ravichandran Ashwin has been coined as India’s best batter in the longest format of the game, as he is India’s highest wicket taker now in the format going past the greats Kapil Dev and Harbhajan Singh.
Rohit Sharma won the Men’s International Cricketer of the Year Award.
Rohit Sharma has been India’s best batter across all formats. Despite being aged 37 and nearing his retirement, Sharma is yet India’s top-ranked batter across all formats. Sharma has been the most enthusiastic hitter of the ball, as he has bundled on many runs in the World Cup and the T20 World Cup, and he has also emerged as India’s highest run-getter in the WTC.
An international cricketer award likely suits his high standards.
Rahul Dravid awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award
India veteran player Rahul Dravid has made an immense contribution to the team’s success in his playing career. Considered one of the greatest of the game across both the Test and ODI formats, Dravid’s only disappointment lay in his empty trophy cabinet despite a celebrated career.
However, the veteran returned as India’s coach and has set a chain of Trophies first winning the U-19 World Cup with the young boys and then leading the big boys to a WTC final, an ODI World Cup final and the T20 World Cup which they finally won in Dravid’s reign thus ending his trophy drought.
Other Awards:
- Men’s T20I Batter of the Year – Phil Salt
- Men’s T20I Bowler of the Year – Tim Southee
- CEAT Domestic Cricketer of the Year – R. Sai Kishore
- CEAT Women’s India Batter – Smriti Mandhana – India’s Top ranked Women’s batter across all formats.
- CEAT Women’s India Bowler – Deepti Sharma
- Most Games as Captain in Women’s T20I (Memento) – Harmanpreet Kaur
