Who are the ICC Player of the Month nominees for January?
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Dubai, Feb 21 (NationPress) The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the nominees for the Men’s Player of the Month for January, featuring Daryl Mitchell, Joe Root, and Suryakumar Yadav. These players have showcased remarkable performances with both bat and ball during an eventful month in cricket.
New Zealand's Mitchell kicked off the year with an impressive performance, leading his team to a 2-1 victory against India in the ODI series. The all-rounder achieved consecutive centuries in the second and third matches, helping New Zealand recover from an initial 0-1 series deficit.
Mitchell amassed 352 runs at an average of 176 against India, earning him the Player of the Series award and the top position in the ICC ODI batting rankings. He also scored 125 runs at a strike rate of 186.56 during the five-match T20I series against India.
Joe Root was instrumental in England's comeback against Sri Lanka in their three-match ODI series. His performance improved with each game, scoring 61 in the first, 75 in the second, and an unbeaten 111 in the final, aiding England in overcoming a 0-1 series deficit to win 2-1.
Root was named Player of the Series, accumulating 242 runs and taking two wickets. He also delivered a noteworthy performance in the challenging Ashes 2025/26 series against Australia, scoring 160 in the first innings of the Sydney Test, despite the hosts winning the series 4-1.
Suryakumar Yadav regained his form just before the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, shining in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand. After a streak of poor performances without scoring 50 in 25 matches, Yadav rebounded with three half-centuries, leading India to a 4-1 series victory.
He scored a total of 242 runs across five matches, achieving a strike rate of 196.74, which earned him the Player of the Series accolade. A standout performance came in the second match when Suryakumar scored an unbeaten 82, guiding India to chase down New Zealand's total of 208 in just 15.2 overs, marking India's second-highest successful chase in T20 history.