ICC Awards: Bumrah is Test Cricketer of the Year; Mandhana best ODI player among women
Dubai(PTI) Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was chosen for the men's Test Cricketer of the Year, while big-hitting batter Smriti Mandhana bagged the women's honour in the ODI format as Indian cricketers dominated the ICC individual awards that were rolled out on Monday.
ICC announced three more awardees from its annual list this afternoon, continuing a process that started on Friday. The final two honours -- the men's and women's Cricketer of the Year -- will be revealed on Tuesday and Bumrah is in contention to bag a double after having been named in the Test Team of the Year.
Bumrah was a standout performer in the last 12 months in which he dominated all opposition teams, grabbing 71 wickets from a mere 13 matches at a brilliant average of 14.92.
Bumrah bowled a phenomenal 357 overs in Test cricket in the cycle, maintaining a strike-rate of just 30.1.
Bumrah, who was instrumental in India's home series victories over England and Bangladesh, was the fourth Indian bowler to take 70 or more wickets in a calendar year after Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble and R Ashwin.
"I am really happy to win the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year award. This format is always close to my heart. The last year was really special, to be having a lot of learning and wins.
"I am happy to play a lot of cricket this year, and a lot of wickets have been special. But the wicket of Ollie Pope (England) at Visakhapatnam was really special because that shifted the momentum in our favour," Bumrah was quoted as saying in an ICC release.
The 31-year-old's brightest moments came during India's tour to Australia, where his astonishing 32 wickets across five Tests earned him the Player of the Series award, despite India going 1-3 down in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
During the series Down Under, Bumrah crossed the 200 Test wickets milestone, becoming the 12th Indian bowler to achieve the feat.
Bumrah also set a unique record while achieving the feat, becoming the only bowler in Test history with a minimum of 200 dismissals to have an average less than 20 (19.4).
The pacer also led the team in the Perth Test, which India won by a whopping 295 runs, in the absence of Rohit Sharma, who was on a paternity leave.
It was also India's biggest Test win ever by runs.
He is the first male Indian cricketer to bag an individual ICC honour since 2018, when Virat Kohli claimed the Test player of the year as well as the cricketer of the year.
Honour for Mandhana
Charismatic opener Smriti Mandhana brought further joy for Indian fans as she was named as the women's ODI Cricketer of the Year. She earlier featured in the women's T20 International and ODI Team of the Year.
The India vice-captain, who was the ICC women's Cricketer of the Year in 2018 and 2022, racked up 747 runs in 13 innings in 2024 to bag the prestigious award.
"I thank ICC for giving me the honour of ICC Women's ODI Cricketer of the Year. I was happy to contribute to the team.
"I would like to thank my coaches and family for all the support and most importantly the teammates who have been with me through all the ups and downs," Mandhana told ICC.
She put several batting stalwarts, including South Africa's Laura Wolvaardt, England's Tammy Beaumont and West Indies' Hayley Matthews, to shade.
The left-hander's tally was the highest among the leading run-getters in Women's ODIs last year, way ahead of Wolvaardt (697), Beaumont (554) and Matthews (469).
She scored four ODI centuries, a record in the women's game, and found the boundary more than a hundred times in the year, hitting 95 fours and six maximums.
The 28-year-old cricketer's runs came at an average of 57.86 and an impressive strike rate of 95.15.
Some of her best innings came against high-calibre opposition, including her back-to-back centuries which guided India to a 3-0 series win against South Africa in June.
Mandhana also smashed a ton in the series decider against New Zealand in October.
She went on to showcase her ability to dominate the best bowling in the world with another defiant century in Perth against Australia in a losing cause in December.
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Opposition raking up Dalit CM issue to divert attention: Karnataka Minister
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday accused the opposition of "unnecessarily stoking" the debate over a Dalit Chief Minister to deflect attention from governance.
He asserted that only the Congress has the commitment to elevate a Dalit leader to the top post.
Speaking to reporters here, Parameshwara said the ongoing discussion on a Dalit Chief Minister was being amplified by opposition parties.
“This is the work of the opposition. To hide their own failures, they are raising the issue of the Chief Minister. Isn’t the administration running smoothly? Isn’t the Chief Minister governing?” he asked.
The Minister noted that for the past 10–12 days, detailed budget discussions had been held across departments and governance was progressing normally.
Parameshwara, who is a Dalit, said the Congress alone had the history and political will to make a Dalit Chief Minister.
“Yes, it must be the Congress party. Who else will do it?” he said, while clarifying that the timing of any such decision would be determined by the party high command.
On Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s media statement targeting the JD(S) and invoking social justice, Parameshwara said Siddaramaiah had earlier been part of the JD(S) and even served as its president before being expelled.
He noted that the internal history of that party was best known to those within it and declined to comment on specific internal matters.
Defending the Chief Minister’s ideological position, Parameshwara said Siddaramaiah’s politics had always been rooted in social justice and that there was nothing new or opportunistic about his stance.
The Chief Minister, he said, had consistently built his political career on that foundation.
