This Indian player deserved the Man of the Series award, but it was hastily given to Gill!

London: Mistakes can happen even at grand ceremonies or international events. On Monday at The Oval, India defeated England in a thrilling match by six runs, leveling the series 2-2. With this victory, Shubman Gill and his teammates captured the hearts and minds of millions of cricket fans. However, a small blunder occurred during the presentation ceremony.

The Man of the Match award was rightly given to Mohammed Siraj. But for the joint Man of the Series award, there were two strong contenders: Harry Brook and Mohammed Siraj.

What actually happened was this: Organizers had requested both head coaches — Gautam Gambhir for India and Brendon McCullum for England — to suggest names for the Man of the Series award.

Assuming the match would conclude on Sunday (Day 4), McCullum submitted Shubman Gill’s name at that time. However, the match extended into Day 5, and on Monday morning, it was Siraj who stole the show with a game-winning spell. This led McCullum to change his mind and suggest Siraj’s name instead.

But by then, the final list of winners had already been compiled — and Gill’s name had been locked in.

Former Indian cricketer and post-match ceremony anchor Dinesh Karthik revealed to a leading website that Michael Atherton, who presented the Man of the Series award, was given only two names: Harry Brook and Shubman Gill. Although McCullum did suggest Siraj’s name later, the list wasn’t updated — resulting in Gill, rather than Siraj, being announced as joint winner alongside Brook.