Ranji Trophy champion Karnataka’s captain, fast bowling spearhead and inspiration, Vinay Kumar, was named CEAT Domestic Cricketer of the Year for 2014-15 at a function here on Monday.
Receiving the prize from former India captain Nari Contractor, Vinay said: “Karnataka is dominant across different formats in first-class cricket because whenever there is a crisis situation, someone in the side puts his hand up to take responsibility for team performance.”
Test batsman Ajinkya Rahane was chosen Indian Cricketer of the Year, while Kapil Dev was chosen for the Lifetime Achievement Award. Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara was named the International Cricketer of the Year.
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Mumbai Indians’ skipper Rohit Sharma, who was given a Special Award for his record-breaking 264 against Sri Lanka in an one-dayer at Kolkata, said about the knock “I had come back into the game after a gap of three months and just went out to bat with an open mind, not thinking about anything.”
The annual awards honours players for performances in international and domestic cricket across all formats. Sunil Gavaskar is Chief Adjudicator of CEAT Cricket Rating, which identifies achievers based on points accumulated in various categories.
The RPG Group chairman, Harsh Goenka, announced the launch of cricket gear and named Aussie pacer Brett Lee as the brand ambassador.
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The award winners: International Cricketer of the Year: Kumar Sangakkara; Domestic Cricketer of the Year: R. Vinay Kumar; Indian Cricketer of the Year: Ajinkya Rahane; T20 Player of the Year: Dwayne Bravo ; International Batsman of the Year: Hashim Amla; International Bowler of the Year: Rangana Herath; Popular Choice award: Kieron Pollard; Special Award: Rohit Sharma; Young Player of the Year: Deepak Hooda.