India spearhead Jasprit Bumrah onSunday headlined the BCCI Annual Awards function, grabbing the prestigiousPolly Umrigar award apart from annexing the Dilip Sardesai honour for hisexploits in international cricket in the 2018-19 season. Polly Umrigar award ispresented to the best male International cricketer and it carries a citation,trophy and cheque for Rs. 15 lakh. DilipSardesai award is conferred on both the highest wicket-taker and highestrun-getter in Test cricket. Bumrah took 34 wickets in six matches with threefive-wicket hauls.
Prolific Saurashtra batsman Chetshwar Pujara was picked for the honour for scoring 677 runs in 8 matches at an average of 52.07 with three centuries and two half-centuries.
Bumrah, the world's number ODI bowlermade his Test debut during India's tour of South Africa in January 2018 andhasn't looked back since.
He picked up a five-wicket haul in South Africa, England, Australia, and the West Indies, becoming the first and only Asian bowler to achieve the feat. He played a stellar role in the historic 2-1 Test series win in Australia, India's first Down Under and which helped them retain the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
While Bumrah netted the biggest prize in the men's category, Poonam Yadav claimed the top prize in the women's section and was awarded the best international cricketer.
The award will be another feather inthe leg-spinner's cap who recently received the Arjuna Award. Former Indiacaptains Krishnamachari Srikkanth and Anjum Chopra were presented the Col CKNayudu Lifetime Achievement Award and the BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award forwomen respectively. A member of the 1983 World Cup-winning team, Srikkanth tookon the fearsome West Indies fast bowlers and scored an attacking 38, the topindividual score in the low-scoring final at the Lord's.
He also captained India andpost-retirement served as the chief selector and it was during his tenure thatthe 2011 World Cup squad was picked.
Anjum is one of the finest batswomenand the first Indian to play 100 ODIs. In a career spanning 17 years, Anjumrepresented India in four 50-over World Cups and two T20 World Cup (played inone). Mayank Agarwal, who emerged as an impact batsman starting with his debutseries in Australia in 2018-19, received the best international debut in men'scategory while talented 15-year-old Shafali Verma grabbed the same in thewomen's category.
Mumbai all-rounder Shivam Dube, who impressed in the recently concluded T20 series against Sri Lanka, was presented the Lala Amarnath Award for the best all-rounder in the Ranji Trophy while Delhi's Nitish Rana received the same for doing well in the limited-overs competition. India's middle-order batswoman Deepti Sharma received the Jagmohan Dalmiya Trophy for best woman cricketer in senior domestic circuit while Shafali was picked for honour in the junior category.
Virender Sharma was adjudged the best umpire in domestic cricket while Vidarbha Cricket Association were presented the best performance award in domestic cricket for winning the Ranji Trophy.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said,"The BCCI Awards is our way of recognising the finest on-fieldperformances right from the age group to senior level and also honour ourlegends." Boardsecretary Jay Shah said, "We wanted to make Naman bigger and better andhave introduced four new categories – highest run-getter and wicket-takers inWODIs and best international debut men and women – from this year."
