Ashwin only Indian among four nominees for ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year 2023

Australia's Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, England's Joe Root and India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin have been nominated for the Test Cricketer of the Year.

After winning the award in 2016, the experienced all-rounder will be running for the accolade for the third time in his career. He scythed 41 wickets in seven Test matches.

Ashwin played a vital role in India's journey to the final of the World Test Championship 202-23 campaign.

In the Border-Gavaskar series on home soil, the no. 1 ranked Test bowler with his versatility bagged 25 wickets in four matches to help India retain the decorated accolade. This series also saw Ashwin becoming the leading wicket-taker for India against the mighty Australia in red-ball cricket with 114 wickets, surpassing Anil Kumble's tally of 111.

Australia's match-winner Travis Head became the second nominee on the back of his sensational performances in red-ball cricket.

In 12 matches the left-handed batter amassed 919 runs which also saw him lift the World Test Championship trophy against India.

2023 marked Head's most prolific run in Test cricket since making his debut in 2018. After kicking off the year on a positive note by scoring a half-century against South Africa, Heas went on to leave his mark in the Border Gavaskar Trophy.

When the rest of the batters struggled against India's clinical spin set-up, Head stuck to his aggressive style of play in three outings and was one of the three Australian batters who scored 200 runs.

He went on to continue his high-scoring form and scored some vital runs during Australia's Ashes triumph over England.

Head's sole ton in the format came during Australia's World Test Championship final against India. With India making early inroads, Head, came in to stabilize Australia's sinking ship and raced to a century off just 106 balls.

Head's compatriot Usman Khawaja will also compete for the coveted title. He will be a strong contender for the award after he ended the year as the leading Test run-scorer ahead of Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli.

He was the sole batter to reach the four-digit mark.

Khawaja kicked off 2023 by playing his career-best knock of 195* against South Africa. In the Border Gavaskar Trophy, he finished the series as the top run scorer among both teams with a tally of 333.

Finally, England's experienced batter Joe Root will be eyeing his second Men's Test Cricketer of the Year after clinching the award in 2021. The right-handed batter scored 787 runs and claimed 8 wickets in eight matches.

Root began the year in style, with three fifty-plus scores in the two-match series against New Zealand. His stellar performances included a brilliant 153* and 95 in the second game which played out to be one of the most thrilling Test matches of the year, that New Zealand won by one run.

He followed it up with another half-century in the one-off Test against Ireland and a stellar Ashes series.

Root began the five-match Ashes series against Australia with an unbeaten 118 in the opening Test. After a couple of dry outings, Root finished the series on a high with a half-century each in the last two Tests, helping England draw the series 2-2. (ANI)