Sanju Samson is ICC Men's Player of March following T20 World Cup heroics

New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr won the honour in the women's category after an outstanding series against Zimbabwe and South Africa.

India's wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson was on Tuesday (April 14) named International Cricket Council (ICC) Men's Player of the Month for March, while the women's honour went to New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr.

Sanju was rewarded for a stellar run that saw him play a defining role in the team's triumphant T20 World Cup campaign.

Though Sanju did not get to play in the early part of the tournament, he was the standout performer in the big games towards the end and helped India retain the title.

His latest honour also extends a unique streak, with players from different countries winning the award over the past five months including South Africa's Simon Harmer, Australia's Mitchell Starc, New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell and Pakistan's Sahibzada Farhan.

"Winning the ICC Player of the Month award is an incredible feeling, especially as it comes during what has been the most unforgettable phase of my cricketing journey. Playing a part in India's triumph at the Men's T20 World Cup was truly a dream realised, and it took some time for the magnitude of that moment to fully sink in," said Sanju.

"This is an exciting era for Indian cricket, with immense talent across the board. I feel grateful for the opportunities I've received, and for the trust and support from my team-mates and coaching staff that have allowed me to perform at my best," he added.

Not a regular part of the playing XI in the initial stages of the tournament, Sanju was eventually called up for India's must-win Super 8 fixtures. After starting off with 24 against Zimbabwe, he picked form and didn't look back.

The opener missed out on a century against the West Indies by just three runs, but his attacking 97 not out set up India's spot in the semifinal.

A blistering 89 against England at the Wankhede helped India to 253 for seven, and the target proved elusive for the English who missed out by seven runs on March 5.

An equally amazing 89 was churned out during India's successful title defence in Ahmedabad, securing a 96-run win.

In the three crucial T20Is he was a part of in March, Samson notched up 275 runs at an astonishing average of 137.50 and a stunning strike rate of 199.27.

Kerr won the women's honour for the third time, after an outstanding series against Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Taking over the white-ball teams from Sophie Devine, Kerr's captaincy seemed to have brought out the best in her with both the ball and the bat. In the Zimbabwe ODI series, she managed to snap 16 wickets in just three matches, including her career-best figures of 7/34.

Additionally, she also contributed with the bat, being the third highest run-scorer in the ODIs, scoring 140 runs across three games with an average of 46.67 in the counting month.

Both players were crowned following a vote conducted among global fans registered at icc-cricket.com and a specialist panel comprising former international players and media representatives.

(With ICC Media inputs)