ICC unveils men's player of the month winner for July 2025

DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has named India’s Test captain Shubman Gill as the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for July 2025, following his record-breaking performances in the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England.

The 25-year-old edged past England skipper Ben Stokes and South African all-rounder Wiaan Mulder to claim the accolade after an extraordinary month with the bat. 

Across three Tests in July, he amassed 567 runs at an exceptional average of 94.50, including a double century and two hundreds in six innings.

"It feels great to be named the ICC Player of the Month for July," Gill said.

"This time it holds a lot more significance since it has come for my performances during my first Test series as captain.

"The double ton in Birmingham is obviously something I will cherish forever and will be one of the highlights of my tour to England.

"The Test series against England was a learning experience for me as captain and we had some outstanding performances from both sides, which I am sure players from both sides will remember for a long time.

"I would like to thank the jury for selecting me for this award and my teammates who have been with me during the course of this exciting series. I look forward to continuing my form in the season ahead and bring more laurels for the country."

Gill becomes the first men’s player to win the ICC Player of the Month award on four occasions, a feat matched only by Australia’s Ash Gardner and West Indies captain Hayley Matthews in women’s cricket.

The highlight of his campaign came in India’s historic win at Edgbaston, where he scored a monumental 269 in the first innings after walking in at 95/2, and followed it up with 161 in the second innings to seal a 336-run victory. 

His match aggregate of 430 runs stands as the second-highest in Test history, behind only Graham Gooch’s 456.

During the Edgbaston masterclass, Gill shattered multiple records, becoming the first Indian captain to score a Test double century on English soil and only the second Indian skipper to achieve a double ton outside India, after Virat Kohli’s 2016 feat in the West Indies. 

He surpassed Sunil Gavaskar’s 221 from 1979 for the highest Test score by an Indian in England and broke Sachin Tendulkar’s 21-year-old record of 241 to set the highest overseas score by an Indian outside Asia.

Though he registered low scores of 16 and six at Lord’s, Gill roared back at Old Trafford with a composed second-innings 103 to rescue a draw after India were reeling at 0/2 in pursuit of 311 to avoid an innings defeat. 

His innings was pivotal in setting up India’s eventual 2-2 series result.

Gill finished the five-match series with a staggering 754 runs in 10 innings at an average of 75.40, earning him the Player of the Series award. His tally was the second-highest ever in a single ICC World Test Championship series.

The young captain’s ability to convert starts into match-defining scores, especially under pressure, proved decisive in India’s fightbacks, solidifying his stature as one of the premier batters in world cricket.