September proved to be a brilliant month for Indian cricket. In the men's division, Shubman Gill set numerous records by scoring runs, while in the women's division, Shafali Verma made a splash with her impressive performances in the Asia Cup and Asian Games. Both athletes received recognition for their achievements.
Gill was selected as the ICC Men's Player of the Month for September 2026, and Shafali received the ICC Women's Player of the Month award. These awards are official recognition from the ICC of their outstanding play.
Gill scored 333 runs in the first two matches of the ODI series against West Indies. Among these achievements were one century and an unbeaten double century.
In the first ODI match against West Indies, held on September 27th in Tiruvannanthapuram, Shubman Gill scored 110 runs off 108 balls. India managed to reach the target of 296 runs, losing only two batsmen.
Three days later in Guwahati, Gill played one of the most memorable innings in the ODI. When West Indies scored 405/7, the Indian captain scored an unbeaten 223 runs off just 133 balls. His innings included 26 fours and eight sixes.
Rohit Sharma also contributed, scoring 101 runs off 75 balls. They built a partnership of 255 runs in the first innings, which is the largest opening partnership in ODIs on Indian soil. India won the match by eight wickets, scoring 406 runs in 43.3 overs.
Gill reached a century off 62 balls and a double century off 117 balls. His double century was the fastest double century in ODI history and the highest individual score in a successful run chase. This is Gill's fifth ICC Men's Player of the Month award. Previously, he had received this award in January 2023, September 2023, February 2025, and July 2025, strengthening his record for awards received.
In women's cricket, Shafali Verma impressed with her all-round skills in September. Across seven T20 Internationals, she scored 360 runs at an average of 72 and a strike rate of 184.61. Additionally, she took six wickets as a spin bowler. Her bowling average was 13, and her economy rate was 4.33.
This is the second time Shafali has been named ICC Women's Player of the Month. She previously received this award in November 2025 for her crucial role in India's victory in the Women's Cricket World Cup on home soil.
In the Asia Cup held in the UAE, Shafali became India's top scorer. She scored 236 runs in five matches, including 64 runs in the semi-final against Bangladesh and 68 runs in the final against Sri Lanka. With this victory, India secured the Asia Cup title for the eighth consecutive time.
Her form continued at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. She scored 188 runs in three matches. After an unbeaten 40 against Japan, she played an unbeaten hundred against Bangladesh in the semi-final off just 49 balls. This was her first T20 International hundred. Thanks to her performance, India reached the final and subsequently defeated Sri Lanka to win the gold medal. In the gold medal match, Shafali scored 48 runs and took two wickets, which was vital in India's large victory by 147 runs. She took two more wickets in the Asia Cup and four in the Asian Games. Due to these outstanding performances, she entered the top four of the global T20 International player rankings for women.
Shubman Gill expressed delight at receiving the fifth award. He noted that playing in front of a home crowd and being part of a team in a successful run chase brings immense satisfaction. He also emphasized that the pace in ODIs is increasing, and players need to adapt to the conditions.
For her part, Shafali Verma called the second ICC Player of the Month award a magnificent recognition. She stated that contributing to the victories in the Asia Cup and Asian Games is very significant to her, and this award made those achievements even more special. Shafali also expressed enthusiasm for the upcoming India vs. Zimbabwe series and the ICC Women's Championship in February next year. She added that the memories of the World Cup victory are still fresh, and she looks forward to participating in another ICC tournament on home soil.