Reports: At the BCCI NAMAN function, Ravi Shastri will be recognized for his lifetime achievements and Shubman Gill will be awarded Cricketer of the Year.

According to recent rumors, Shubman Gill, the opening batsman, is expected to receive the BCCI’s Cricketer of the Year award in the men’s category for his outstanding performance in the international arena in 2023. The BCCI will also give former cricket player and head coach Ravi Shastri the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The NAMAN Awards will be hosted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday, January 23. In addition to hosting India’s opening Test of the five-match series against England, Hyderabad is also the site of the 2024 edition of the annual award ceremony honoring outstanding accomplishments in Indian cricket during the previous year.

The Times of India cited a BCCI official as saying, “He (Shastri) has been chosen for the honour, while Shubman Gill will be awarded the cricketer of the year.”

It is important to note that Shubman Gill participated in 48 games in 2023 and scored an incredible 2,154 runs. Throughout the year, the Punjab batsman amassed seven hundreds and 10 half-centuries, including a ton in each of the three formats he participated in. His average was at 46.82. Gill won the Orange Cap in the Indian Premier League, the premier Twenty20 competition organized by BCCI, for his incredible 890 runs in the 2024 season while playing for the Gujarat Titans (GT).

In contrast, Ravi Shastri has played for the nation in 150 one-day matches and 80 Test matches. Over the course of his more than ten-year international career, the former all-rounder has amassed more over 3,000 runs in both formats and claimed 280 wickets in total. Shastri led the Indian squad to eliminations in the T20 World Cup (2021), World Cup (2019), and WTC Final (2021). Under the 61-year-old’s appropriate leadership, Australia was also victorious in the controversial Gabba Test.

First NAMAN Awards since 2019; most likely to be hosted by Harsha Bhogle

The Covid-19 pandemic caused very little cricket to be played, hence this is the first time the awards have been given out since 2019. Some behind-the-scenes photos from the impending event at the City of Pearls were also released by the BCCI’s official X handle. The video shows that Indian cricket stars from both the men’s and women’s teams will be present at the esteemed event, which will be hosted by Harsha Bhogle, who was born in Hyderabad.

Getting decked up for #NamanAwards

Just one more day to go! pic.twitter.com/w4IqX5Ysvf

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 22, 2024

In 2023, the Indian team performed substantially well, as they ended as the runners-up during the World Test Championship final as well as the ODI World Cup, losing to Australia on both the occasions. India’s bilateral performances were also noteworthy, winning majority of the games.