ICC gifts Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah a generational feature after T20 World Cup heroics

The International Cricket Council (ICC), on Thursday (July 4), announced the names of the three players who are in contention to win the ICC Player of the Month award. Two of the three players are from India's T20 World Cup winning squad - Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah - while the third one is Afghanistan star Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

All three players have earned the nomination after starring in the recently-concluded ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Gurbaz was one of the best batters in the competition and finished the tournament as the highest run-scorer. His performance was one of the key reasons behind Afghanistan's historic march to the semifinals of the T20 World Cup.

In 8 games, the Afghan opener scored 281 runs with the help of three half-centuries. He also became the first Afghanistan cricketer to finish a T20 World Cup campaign as the highest run-scorer. He forged a strong partnership with Ibrahim Zadran at the top of the order as Afghanistan defeated the likes of New Zealand, Australia, and Bangladesh in the competition. Gurbaz scored 80 against New Zealand and 60 against Australia.

Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah nominated for the ICC Player of the Month award:

Both Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah starred with the bat and ball as India won the T20 World Cup for the second time and first time since 2007. While Rohit finished the tournament as India's highest run-scorer, Bumrah was adjudged the Player of the Tournament.

Only Gurbaz scored more runs than Rohit in the tournament. The veteran batsman, who also announced his retirement from T20Is after the win in the final, scored 257 runs at an average of 36.71 and a brilliant strike rate of 156.7. He also hit 3 half-centuries in the tournament including a 92-run knock against Australia and a 57-run knock against defending champions England in the semifinal.

Rohit's captaincy also helped India register a thrilling 7-run win over South Africa in the final. Chasing 177, South Africa were on 151/4 after 16 overs. However, the Rohit Sharma-led side went on to restrict the Proteas to 169/8 to win the match.

Bumrah also played a huge role with the ball for India in the competition. Throughout the competition, he was Rohit's go-to man as he constantly picked crucial wickets for the team. In 8 games, Bumrah picked up 15 wickets at an average of 8.26 and a remarkable economy rate of 4.17.