Kohli, Ashwin chosen for BCCI 2016-17 awards

Bengaluru, March 1 (CRICKETNMORE):  India skipper Virat Kohli, who has been on a roll with the willow, was on Wednesday named for the prestigious Polly Umrigar award while all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin will be presented the Dilip Sardesai award at the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) annual awards on March 8 here.

Kohli, who first received the award in 2011-12 and in 2014-15, will become the first Indian cricketer to be bestowed with the honour on three occasions.

"Team India captain Virat Kohli will be presented with the prestigious Polly Umrigar Award, given to the International Cricketer of the Year, at the BCCI Annual Awards to be held in Bengaluru on March 8," the BCCI said in a statement.

Ashwin, who won the Dilip Sardesai award in 2011, will become the first Indian cricketer to receive the honour twice. 

The Chennai tweaker, who was adjudged the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Test cricketer of the year, was instrumental in India's Test series wins against New Zealand, England and Bangladesh with both the bat and the ball. 

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"R. Ashwin will also become the first Indian cricketer to receive the Dilip Sardesai award twice. The all-rounder first won the award instituted to honour the best performance in the bilateral Test series between India and West Indies after being named the Man of the Series in the three-match Test series in 2011."

"In the four-match Test series last year, Ashwin again picked up the Man-of-the-Series award for his outstanding show. In four Tests, he scored two centuries and picked 17 wickets including two five-wicket hauls," the statement read.

The BCCI Annual Awards committee consisting of N. Ram, Ramachandra Guha and Diana Edulji had nominated former domestic cricketers Rajinder Goel and Padmakar Shivalkar for the Col. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award.

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The Mumbai Cricket Association has been chosen as the State Association of the Season (2015-16) for winning the Ranji Trophy, the C.K. Nayudu Trophy and also the women's Plate League Group. They were runner-up in the Cooch Behar Trophy, the Vijay Merchant Trophy and the women's One-Day Elite Group.