BCCI Awards: Jasprit Bumrah Is Best Men's Cricketer, Smriti Mandhana Bags Women's Honour, Lifetime Award for Sachin Tendulkar

The legendary Sachin Tendulkar, whose batting records and impact on international cricket have stood the test of time, was on Saturday conferred with the Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, while current India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was honoured with the Polly Umrigar Award for Best Men's International Cricketer of 2023-24. The 51-year-old Tendulkar, who played 664 international games for India, holds the record for the highest number of Test and ODI runs in the history of the game. "Always value your game and take care of your game. I realised on that final day (2013) that I will never walk onto the field as a current India cricketer. Similarly, once you retire then you will realise where you were a few years ago," Tendulkar said during the BCCI's annual awards function.

"So enjoy your game as you have a lot of cricket left in you as current India cricketers and stay away from distractions." Bumrah, who was selected as the ICC Test and overall Cricketer of the Year for delivering "a master-class in skill, precision, and relentless consistency", was India's standout bowler last year, playing a pivotal role in India's home wins over England and Bangladesh.

The 31-year-old was also the Player of the Series against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, bagging 32 wickets across five Tests.

Elegant batter Smriti Mandhana walked away with the Best International Cricketer of 2023-24 in women's category.

Mandhana, who was the ICC Women's ODI Cricketer of the Year, made 743 runs in the 2024 calendar year with four centuries.

The 28-year-old's runs came at an average of 57.86 and an impressive strike rate of 95.15.

Spin great Ravichandran Ashwin, who retired from international cricket in December 2024 as India's