INDIAN cricketers, including men's Test captain Shubman Gill and women's player Deepti Sharma, featured in the Wisden cricket awards announced on Monday.
The UK-based Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, first published in 1864, records major cricket events worldwide and is known as the sport's "Bible".
The publication named four Indian players from the 2-2 drawn Test series in England last year among its five cricketers of the year. Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Siraj were included.
The only English player in the list was Haseeb Hameed, who led Nottinghamshire to the County Championship in 2025.
Players can receive the award only once in their careers, and it is based mainly on performances during the previous English season.
Gill also received the Wisden Trophy for Test performance of the year after scoring 269 and 161 in the second Test at Edgbaston.
Deepti Sharma succeeded Smriti Mandhana as Wisden's leading women's cricketer of the year for her performances in India's 50-over World Cup win, while Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc received the men's award.
Abhishek Sharma was named Wisden's leading T20 cricketer of the year.
Wisden editor Lawrence Booth criticised the growing Indian influence on English cricket's The Hundred, with four of the eight franchises now linked to owners of Indian Premier League teams after private investment.
"The competition's new ownership structure risks turning The Hundred into an IPL proxy event, more for the benefit of Indian businessmen than English cricket," wrote Booth.
He also criticised England's Ashes campaign as "feckless, reckless and legless".
England, beaten 4-1 by Australia, were criticised for lack of planning, unclear tactics and an approach to off-field behaviour, including reports of excessive drinking during a mid-tour break.
"In the game's long history, it is hard to think of a privilege so carelessly squandered, a chance so blithely spurned," wrote Booth.
"England were feckless, reckless and legless. These were the wing-and-a-prayer Ashes and England got what they deserved. What a waste. What a shame."
(With inputs from agencies)
