[World Cup 2023] Shubman Gill Gets A Big Award From ICC Before IND vs PAK

Just a day before his likely return to the India XI for the Pakistan game in Ahmedabad, India opener Shubman Gill has been given a big award by the ICC.

On Friday, the ICC declared Shubman Gill as the Men’s Player of the Month for September 2023. This comes in as a big boost for the 24-year-old who is climbing the stairs in international cricket.

Shubman Gill was nominated alongside Mohammed Siraj and Dawid Malan. He pipped off his teammate fast bowler and the England batsman to bag the men’s Player of the Month award for September 2023.

Gill was in thunderous form last month. In September, the young India opener scored 480 runs in 2 innings, remaining not out twice. He averaged 80 and scored at a strike rate of 99, hitting 2 centuries and 3 fifties in only 8 innings last month. Nobody scored more international runs than Shubman Gill in September.

He was the top-scorer in the Asia Cup 2023, with 302 runs at an average of 75 with a century against Bangladesh. He rocked Australia then in 2 ODIs, scoring 178 runs in 2 innings at home.

He’s already having a sensational year in ODIs: he’s the leading ODI run-scorer in 2023 with 1230 runs in 20 innings at an average of 72 with 5 centuries and 5 fifties, which included a double hundred at the start of the year against New Zealand. Gill is ranked second in the ICC ODI Men’s Batter ranking, just 5 points behind Babar Azam.

But, due to dengue, Shubman Gill missed India’s first two matches in the World Cup 2023 against Australia and Afghanistan, both of which India won.

India will take on Pakistan in Ahmedabad on Saturday. Gill has reached Ahmedabad and has had two net sessions. He reportedly spent a couple of hours batting in the nets on Friday. Cricbuzz has reported that “Shubman Gill is on the path to full recovery, but his participation in Saturday’s high-stakes game against Pakistan remains uncertain,” adding “it’s still unclear whether he will be deemed fit to play in the marquee match.”