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Three players who can become Player of Month for November 2023
The apex board introduced the Player of the Month award in 2021. Since then, there have been several winners of the awards. They have belonged to several teams in the world. The first winner of the award was Rishabh Pant, who had a sensational time against Australia and England in Test cricket. There have been many such great cricketers, who have since then won the award. But no award in the past would have been as difficult as that in November 2023.
The month saw some of the greatest individual performances from the players, particularly in the Knockouts of the ODI World Cup 2023. The month saw several players giving their best with the bat, ball, and fielders. Some of them led their team from the front. Many players helped their teams to win games in difficult situations. Some of them played key roles in big wins.
Here are the three players who can win the Player of the Month award for November 2023.
3. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli (Source: Twitter)
Virat Kohli had a fantastic month as a batter. On the 2nd of November, Virat played against Sri Lanka at Wankhede Stadium and scored 88 runs in 94 balls. On the 5th of November, Virat created history, as he became only the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to score 49 hundred in ODIs. On a slow pitch at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Virat played a good knock and scored 101(121), which helped India to score 326 runs on the board.
Against the Netherlands, Virat scored 51 runs in 56 balls and claimed 1/13 with the ball. On the 15th of November, Virat scripted history, as he became the first Indian batter to score a hundred in the semifinal of the ODI World Cup. In the process, Virat became the first-ever batter to score 50 hundred in ODIs. In the final of the tournament, Virat scored a fifty and became the only batter to score more than 700 runs in a single edition of the World Cup.
2. Mohammed Shami
Mohammed Shami (Source: Twitter)
Mohammed Shami was sensational in November as a bowler. In the game against Sri Lanka, the seam bowler claimed a 5-wicket haul and destroyed the batting lineup of the island nation. In 5 overs, Shami bowled a maiden over, conceded only 18 runs and claimed 5 wickets. Against South Africa, Shami bowled 4 overs, conceded 18 runs, and claimed 2 wickets with the ball. Against the Netherlands, Shami did not have a great game.
But boy did he make a statement in the semifinal of the tournament against New Zealand. In 9.5 overs, Shami claimed a whopping 7 wickets and conceded 57 runs. It was the career-best figures of the pacer and the best-ever ODI spell by an Indian bowler in ODIs. It was the best spell by a bowler in the Knockout stage of the ODI World Cup. The final was not that good for Shami, despite claiming the big wicket of David Warner at the top.
1. Travis Head
Travis Head (Source: Twitter)
Travis Head had a dream month as a player in November. In the group stage of the tournament, Head could not perform that well. Yet, he was handy with the ball and gave his best as a fielder. In the semifinal against South Africa at Eden Gardens, Head wreaked havoc. With the ball, Head claimed 2/21 in his 5 overs. It helped Australia to restrict South Africa to a total of just 212 runs on the board. With the bat, Head went berserk at the top.
The Southpaw scored 62 runs in 48 balls and took the game away from South Africa. In the final of the tournament, Head gave his career-best performance. With the ball, Head gave away just 4 runs in his 2 overs. As a fielder, Head claimed the game-changing catch of Rohit Sharma. As a batter, Head scored 137 runs in 120 balls. It was as perfect as it could get. Head won the Player of the Match in both the semifinal and the final of the tournament.