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.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..Honour for SmritiCharismatic 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. She put several batting stalwarts, including South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt, England’s Tammy Beaumont, and West Indies’ Hayley Matthews, to shade.
