Shubman Gill named ICC Player of the Month after record 223 against West Indies

India captain Shubman Gill has been named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for September 2026, the International Cricket Council announced on Tuesday, 13 October. It is his fifth monthly award, which Free Press Journal describes as the most won by any men’s player. He was chosen ahead of India’s Abhishek Sharma and Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza.

The honour rests largely on India’s home one-day series against West Indies, which began on 27 September. Gill’s standout performance came in the second match in Guwahati on 30 September, where he finished unbeaten on 223 off 133 balls, including 26 fours and eight sixes. According to Sky Sports, the knock was the highest individual score in a successful ODI run chase, and his double century, reached in 117 balls, was the fastest in the history of the format.

The context made the innings more striking. West Indies had posted 405 for 7, the first time they have passed 400 in a one-day international, with Amir Jangoo (114), Shai Hope (104) and John Campbell each scoring a century. Sky Sports noted that five hundreds in a single ODI had never happened before, and that it was the first time a side with three centurions in an innings had lost. India reached 406 for 2 in 43.3 overs to win by eight wickets, the second-highest successful chase in ODI history behind South Africa’s 438 for 9 against Australia in 2006.

Gill shared an opening stand of 255 with Rohit Sharma, who made 101 before he was given out leg-before to Jayden Seales. Sky Sports reported that it was India’s second-highest opening partnership in ODIs, behind the 258 put on by Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly against Kenya in Paarl in 2001. Free Press Journal described it as India’s highest opening stand on home soil.

India had won the first match in Thiruvananthapuram and led 2-0 after Guwahati. West Indies won the third ODI on 3 October, so India took the series 2-1, according to Free Press Journal. The same report said Gill scored 333 runs across the first two matches, and that his hundred in the second game came off 62 balls, the fastest by an Indian captain in the format.

Gill’s earlier wins of the award came in January 2023, September 2023, February 2025 and July 2025. The last Indian man to be named before him was Sanju Samson, for March 2026. In his reaction to the award, Gill said, as quoted by Free Press Journal, that being part of successful chases in front of home supporters was “even more special”. He also spoke of the aim of building a strong side for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in southern Africa next year.