Rishabh Pant, Shabnim Ismail win inaugural ICC Player of the Month Awards for January 2021

India Team wicketkeeper and batsman Rishabh Pant has been voted the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for January 2021.

“A month to remember Down Under for Rishabh Pant and India. Congratulations to the inaugural winner of the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award,” the International Cricket Council (ICC) tweeted.
Pant won the award for his performances in the two Tests against Australia where he scored a 97 at Sydney and an unbeaten 89 at Brisbane that led India to a historic series win against arch-rivals Australia, the ICC said in a statement.

Elated at being voted the Player of the Month, Pant said: “I am delighted to be receiving the inaugural ICC Men’s Player of the Month Award. For any sportsperson, contributing to a team win is the ultimate reward, but such initiatives help motivate youngsters such as myself to do better each time. I dedicate this award to every member of Team India that contributed to our victory in Australia and also thank all my fans who voted for me.”

South Africa’s Shabnim Ismail was named the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for January 2021. She won the award for her outstanding performance across three ODIs and two T20Is against Pakistan.
The ICC on February 8 announced the winners of the inaugural ICC Player of the Month Awards which recognise and celebrate the best performances from both male and female cricketers across all forms of international cricket throughout the year.