Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Mar 12: India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill is set to be honoured as the Cricketer of the Year at the annual Naman Awards of the Board of Control for Cricket in India on March 15, according to reports.
The recognition comes despite Gill being left out of India’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title defence last month, a decision that had surprised many cricket observers.
Gill enjoyed an outstanding run in Test cricket in 2025, scoring 983 runs during the year. A major portion of that tally came during India’s drawn away series against the England men's national cricket team, where he amassed 754 runs at an average of more than 70.
He also delivered consistent performances in the ODI format, scoring 490 runs during the year, including 188 runs in India’s title-winning campaign at the ICC Champions Trophy.
Across formats, Gill accumulated 1,764 runs at an average of 49, registering seven centuries and three half-centuries.
The 26-year-old also had a strong season in the Indian Premier League in 2025, scoring 650 runs for the Gujarat Titans at an average of 50.
Despite these performances, Gill struggled to cement his place in India’s T20 side. After being recalled during the Asia Cup and even being named vice-captain, he failed to deliver consistently at the top of the order.
During a run of 15 T20 internationals, Gill scored 291 runs at an average of 24.25 and a strike rate of 137.26. His struggles continued during the series against the South Africa national cricket team, where he managed only 32 runs in three matches.
Gill eventually missed the final T20I of the year in Ahmedabad and was later dropped from India’s squad for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
India went on to successfully defend the T20 World Cup title, with Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan emerging as the team’s top run-scorers in the tournament.
Gill will now aim to regain his place in the shortest format during the upcoming IPL season. Leading the Gujarat Titans once again, he is set to begin his IPL 2026 campaign against the Punjab Kings on March 31.