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MUMBAI: Injuries may have forced them to take a temporary break from playing, but Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir continue to stand at the forefront of Indian cricket. The two lead the points tally for the Castrol Indian Cricketer of the Year 2008, followed by their Captain - Mahendra Singh Dhoni and bowlers Harbhajan Singh and Ishant Sharma.
The Castrol Indian Cricketer of the Year Award is decided on a two stage system. In the first stage, the points scored determines the top five contender?s shortlist. In the second stage, all Indian cricketers who have played at least one test match or five ODIs, are invited to vote for their choice of player for the Castrol Indian Cricketer of the Year. This enables a qualitative element as well.
With votes still coming in from Indian cricketers across the country, the race is too close to call and the ultimate winner will only be known at the Castrol Awards for Cricketing Excellence ceremony to be held in Mumbai on 17th September ?09.
The Castrol Awards for Cricketing Excellence have honored the present, past and future of Indian cricket since their inception in 1997-98. Previous years‘ winners of the Castrol Indian Cricketer of the Year have been Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar.
The Award ceremony will also include The Castrol Indian Junior Cricketer of the Year Award (Ravindra Jadeja) and The Castrol Lifetime Achievement Award (G R Vishwanath). Four new awards, instituted from 2008, will also be given away and these include The Castrol Indian Test Cricketer of the Year, The Castrol Indian ODI Cricketer of the Year, The Castrol Indian Bowler of the Year and The Castrol Indian Batsman of the Year. The Awards are for the calendar year 2008.
