Ravindra Jadeja In Race To Become ICC’s Player Of The Month For February 2023, Check Full List

Team India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s brilliant performances in the first two Tests of the Test series against Australia have put him in contention to become ICC’s Player of the Month for February 2023. Jadeja’s name was announced in the shortlist along with England batter Harry Brook and West Indies bowler Gudakesh Motie, who returned staggering figures in a record-breaking bowling display during their away Test series in Zimbabwe.

Jadeja is on the shortlist for the first time after inspiring a dominant start to the series for India in their World Test Championship battle against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar series. The left-arm spinner, who returned from an injury lay-off for the Test series, is the leading wickettaker in Border-Gavaskar Trophy series this year with 21 wickets in 3 Test matches so far, 17 of them coming in the first two games in which he was adjudged the ‘Player of the Match’.

Harry Brook continues to thrive in Test cricket, and yet more explosive scoring during England’s series in New Zealand last month earns him another nomination for the award, following his win back in December. The final name in line for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month crown is the West Indies’ spinner Gudakesh Motie.

Jadeja celebrated his return to international cricket after an injury lay-off by delivering back-to-back match-winning performances for his side. During the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Nagpur, Jadeja ran through Australia’s middle order in the first innings. The 34-year-old picked up superb figures of 5/47 as the tourists were floored for 177.

In response, after India had lost half their side while they were nine runs in deficit, Jadeja (70 runs) forged crucial partnerships with Rohit Sharma and Axar Patel to ensure that his team got a substantial lead. His 2/34 helped bundle Australia out for an innings defeat.

_Top all-rounder
_Gun middle-order batter
_Up-and-coming star

Presenting the nominees for the ICC Women's Player of the Month Award for February 2023 _

— ICC (@ICC) March 7, 2023

The Saurashtra player continued his splendid run in Delhi. He got the crucial wicket of Australia`s top-scorer Usman Khawaja on the way to 3/68 in the first innings. The all-rounder came good with the bat as well, scoring a crucial 26 in an important 59-run stand for the fifth wicket.

His best, however, came in the second innings. At the end of the second day’s play, it seemed like Australia had an advantage with a lead of 62 runs and nine wickets in hand. On the morning of the third day, Jadeja’s slow left-arm orthodox spin ripped through the Australia line-up, bowling the tourists out for 113. His 7/42 turned the game on its head, as India went on to secure a comfortable six-wicket win.

Jadeja’s performances saw him win the Player of the Match award in both games. Brook took his budding Test career to greater heights in February, scoring two fifties and a hundred. The 24-year-old scored just six runs in his first cricketing engagement of the month, an ODI against South Africa.

Brook, however, picked up the pace after switching to Test cricket, a format where his performances during the tour of Pakistan had seen him win the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for December 2022.

Motie picked 19 wickets in the two-Test series to help his side secure a 1-0 series win. In the first Test at Bulawayo, the left-arm spinner had an ordinary start picking 2/110 in the first innings. However, the Motie magic started in the second innings and the spinner didn’t look back after that. Motie picked 4/50 from his 24 overs as Zimbabwe had to fight out to earn a draw. Come the second Test at the same venue, Motie was in top form.

(with ANI inputs)