‘He’s also a Kohli fan like us’ – Fans react as Shubman Gill posts old pic with Virat Kohli after winning Men’s Cricketer of the Year award

India opening batter Shubman Gill has been awarded as the Men’s Cricketer of the Year by the Indian Cricket Board. On January 23, the board awarded the Men’s and Women’s players for the first time after the 2018-19. In the last few seasons, the awards were due. Gill has been awarded for the first time in his career. On the other hand, women’s team all-rounder Deepti Sharma has been awarded for the second time after 2020-21.

The award is named after the former India captain Polly Umrigar. Meanwhile, apart from them, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, and Smriti Mandhana have also won the same award. Apart from them, former India head coach and 1983 World Cup winner Ravi Shastri has won the Lifetime Achievement.

Shubman Gill posts an old image with Virat Kohli

After winning the award, the right-hander posted the photo of him with former India skipper Virat Kohli “So much nostalgia, from coming here when i was 14 and meeting my idols and legends for the first time. Watching Virat bhai win cricketer of the year was something I would never forget. Pure motivation for me to go a step further and give everything for my country this year💙,” the post was captioned.

“Mr. Virat Kohli has requested the Board to be withdrawn from the first two Tests of the upcoming IDFC First Bank Test series against England, citing personal reasons.

“Virat has spoken to Captain Rohit Sharma, the team management and the selectors and has emphasized that while representing the country has always been his top priority, certain personal situations demand his presence and undivided attention.

“The Board respects his decision and the Board and team management has extended its support to the star batter and is confident in the abilities of the remaining squad members to step up and deliver commendable performances in the Test series.

The Board requests the media and fans to respect Virat Kohli’s privacy during this time and refrain from speculating on the nature of his personal reasons. The focus should remain on supporting the Indian cricket team as they embark on the upcoming challenges in the Test series.

“The Men’s Selection Committee will name a replacement soon,” the board said in a statement.

This is how Twitter reacted