Shubman Gill and Deepti Sharma Win Top Cricket Honors

Shubman Gill and Deepti Sharma just proved that 2025 belonged to Indian cricket, taking home the top honors at the Times of India Sports Awards in Lucknow.

Gill made history by becoming the first male cricketer to win ICC Player of the Month four times. He entered the Champions Trophy as the world's top-ranked ODI batter and delivered when it mattered most, scoring an unbeaten century against Bangladesh as India claimed the title.

But his real breakthrough came when he stepped up as Test captain after cricket legends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired. In his very first match as captain at Headingley, he scored a century, then followed with back-to-back hundreds at Edgbaston including a stunning 269 runs, the highest Test score ever by an Indian captain.

That single match saw him accumulate 430 runs total, the second-highest in Test history. By year's end, Gill became only the third Indian captain to score five Test centuries in one calendar year.

Deepti Sharma's performance proved equally remarkable. At the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, she delivered the kind of all-around excellence that wins championships, scoring 215 runs while taking 22 wickets across nine matches.

She became the first cricketer ever, male or female, to achieve the double of 200 runs and 20 wickets in a single World Cup. Her clutch performance in the final helped India lift the trophy on home soil in Mumbai.

Why This Inspires

Both athletes reached these heights while carrying the weight of leadership and national expectations. Gill took the captain's armband during a major transition period for Indian cricket, while Sharma's consistency anchored the women's World Cup campaign when the pressure peaked.

A legendary jury including Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra and cricket icon Mithali Raj selected the winners from across 45 sporting categories. Their choice recognized performances that didn't just break records but built foundations for India's next cricket era.

Two young champions showed the world that Indian cricket's future shines bright.