The Indian women’s cricket team has seen remarkable growth and success in recent years, with several players making their mark on the international stage. Among several standout performers, Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, and Smriti Mandhana have distinguished themselves by winning the prestigious International Cricket Council (ICC) Player of The Month award. This recognition, introduced by the ICC acknowledges exceptional performances across all formats of international cricket, highlighting the consistent excellence and impact these players have had on the game. Their achievements not only showcase their individual talents but also reflect the rising stature of the Indian women’s cricket on the global platform. These awards serve as a testament to their hard work, skill, and contributions to their team’s success in various international series and competitions.
Harmanpreet Kaur, September 2022
Harmanpreet Kaur, the skipper of the senior national team, became the first Indian woman to win the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award. She played amazingly well in the One-Day International (ODI) series against England, scoring 221 runs in three matches. She was very hard to get out and scored quickly, with a strike rate of 103.47. In the first match at Hove, Kaur showed great skill. Her 74 not out helped India easily beat England’s score of 228, winning by seven wickets. She won this award by getting more votes than her teammate Smriti Mandhana and Bangladesh’s captain Nigar Sultana. The voting was done by media people, ICC Hall of Famers, former players, and cricket fans. Although Kaur didn’t do well in the Twenty20 International (T20I) games against England earlier in the month, she was excellent in the ODI series that followed. In the first match, she scored 74 not out to help India win. In the second match, she was even better, scoring 143 not out. This helped India win their first Women’s ODI series in England since 1999.
Deepti Sharma, December 2023
All-rounder Deepti Sharma won the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for December 2023. She beat her teammate Jemimah Rodrigues and Zimbabwe’s Precious Marange for this honor. Deepti is the second Indian woman to win this award, after Harmanpreet Kaur. In December, India played against England and Australia at home. Deepti didn’t do great in the T20I games against England, but she did really well in one match, taking 2 wickets for just 4 runs. In the Test match against England, Deepti was amazing; scoring 67 runs when batting and taking 5 wickets for only 7 runs when bowling, helping India win by taking 9 wickets in total. Against Australia, Deepti continued to play well. She scored 78 runs and bowled really well, even though she didn’t get many wickets. In both Test matches, Deepti scored 165 runs and took 11 wickets. In the ODI matches against Australia, Deepti took 7 wickets, including 5 in one game. She also scored some useful runs. In the T20I matches, she bowled well and didn’t leak many runs off her bowling. Courtesy of her great performance, Deepti moved up to second place in the ICC Women’s T20I bowling rankings. Overall, Deepti showed she can be a standout performer across formats of cricket games, resulting in her winning the Player of the Month award.
Smriti Mandhana, June 2024
Smriti Mandhana, India’s vice-captain, won the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for June. This is the first time she’s won this award. She beat England’s Maia Bouchier and Sri Lanka’s Vishmi Gunaratne to win it. Mandhana received this honor on the back of an outstanding series against South Africa on home soil. In the 3-match ODI series, she scored a lot of runs – 343 in total; she notched up successive tons, scoring 117 and 136, and 90 in another. India won all these games. Then, in the Test match in Chennai, she scored a mature 149, helping India get a big score of 603 runs.