Rishabh Pant wins ICC Player of the Month award, fans predict Kyle Mayers to succeed him

India's wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant received immense appreciation for his exceptional performances with the bat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. The left-hander was recently rewarded for his phenomenal outings in the month of January, as he was named as the ICC Player of the Month. The International Cricket Council (ICC) recently introduced the 'ICC Player of the Month' award through which they plan to acknowledge significant performances by both male and female cricketers.

ICC Player of the Month: India's Rishabh Pant named as the winner for January 

The youngster tormented the Australian bowlers in the four-match Test series with his counter-attacking approach. The southpaw played a significant role in the grueling series. Often targeted for his ordinary glovework, the left-hander made amends by putting up a lion-hearted show with the bat against a formidable Australian bowling attack.

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It was in the Sydney Test match, where he took the Australian bowlers to the cleaners on the ultimate day of the Test match to shift the momentum towards India. It also is worth mentioning that the youngster was also nursing an elbow injury, but he did not let that have an effect on his game and scored a quick-fire 97 on a placid wicket.

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The swashbuckling left-hander showcased exemplary batsmanship in the Test series decider as well. The 23-year-old scored a magnificent unbeaten 89 at the Gabba and guided India to a famous Test series win. Rishabh Pant was nominated by the ICC for their Player of the Month award, alongside England's Test captain Joe Root and Ireland's Paul Stirling. However, the dynamic Indian batter trumped the two and was chosen as the winner based on the votes of ICC's designated panel and fan votes. 

Fans believe that West Indies batsman Kyle Mayers is the frontrunner for the February award. The player smashed a brilliant double century against Bangladesh and helped his team register a memorable victory. West Indies chased down 395 runs in the final innings of the Test match at Chattogram, where debutant Kyle Mayers remained unbeaten on 210. 

India vs England 1st Test: Rishabh Pant shines with the bat

The onus was once again on 23-year-old Rishabh Pant to steer the Indian side out of trouble, and the player once again came up with a lion-hearted performance in the India vs England 1st Test. The left-hander scored runs at a frantic pace and scored a quick-fire 91 off just 88 deliveries. 

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Rishabh Pant career stats in Tests 

Playing in his 17th Test match for India, he has already seen several ups and downs already in his young career. The player has amassed 1179 runs in his career so far and also boasts of a healthy batting average of 45.34. The left-hander has two centuries to his name and has also scored five fifties in the longer format. It is worth mentioning that Rishabh Pant is the first Indian wicketkeeper to smash a century in both Australia and England. 

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Image source: ICC Twitter