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When Shubman Gill walked up to receive the top honour at the BCCI Naman Awards 2026 it really felt like recognition of a year that truly shaped his place in Indian cricket.

The stylish right hander was named the Best International Cricketer (Men) and he also got the prestigious Polly Umrigar Award for his performances in the 2024–25 season. But more than just the numbers it was his memorable tour of England that defined the whole year for him.

Gill leads new era after senior retirements

That series came at such an important moment for the team. With veterans like Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin having stepped away a new phase of Indian cricket had properly begun.Gill took that responsibility on his shoulders without hesitation.

Across the five Test matches, he delivered a batting masterclass that will be remembered for a long time. The right hander finished as the leading run scorer in the series with 754 runs in 10 innings at an average of 75.40, striking four centuries including that monumental 269.

Those performances proved crucial as India battled hard to secure a 2–2 draw against England. In many ways, Gill’s consistency at the top of the order became one of the biggest reasons why the team managed to match England in those tough conditions.

Mixed fortunes across formats

Gill also missed out on a key opportunity in T20 cricket during the season and was eventually dropped from the side in that format. It was a surprising phase for a player of his stature though such setbacks are not uncommon in modern multi format cricket.

But if T20s brought disappointment his performances in Tests and ODIs were simply phenomenal. Gill entered the ICC Champions Trophy as the world’s No.1 ranked ODI batter and played an important role in India’s title winning campaign. His unbeaten 101 against Bangladesh in the opening game set the tone for the tournament and he finished with 188 runs overall.

Mandhana shines while legends honoured

While Gill took the men’s award the women’s honour went to Smriti Mandhana who continued her remarkable run in international cricket. Mandhana finished 2025 with 1703 international runs including 1362 runs in ODIs the most by any woman in a calendar year. In doing so she became the first batter in women’s ODI history to score 1000 runs in a single year.

She also played a major role in India’s maiden triumph at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup scoring 434 runs in nine matches to finish as India’s leading run scorer.

The ceremony also recognised legendary contributions to Indian cricket. Former greats Roger Binny Rahul Dravid and Mithali Raj were presented with the Col. C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award.

Still the evening largely belonged to Gill. Because somewhere during that demanding England tour he showed that he is ready to lead India’s batting future.

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