CEAT Awards - Saluting legends, recognising today's best and earmarking future greats

The 2015-16 season is finally coming to an end and it has been a season where cricket has triumphed against the odds. The number one Test team, South Africa, were dethroned from the perch; Australia continued to be the team to beat in the One Day International (ODI) format and we had a new Twenty20 champion in West Indies.

Stars were born, records were broken and history was re-written. In short, cricket thrived... the biggest proof being the overwhelming support received during the 2016 World Twenty20, hosted by India.

A glance on India and its team's achievements over the past one year and one can, perhaps, call it bitter sweet. The Indian Test team, under the vibrant leadership of Virat Kohli, had a smooth run, securing series wins in Sri Lanka and then crushing South Africa at home. It wasn't all easy in the other formats of the game though. ODI series losses to South Africa and Australia were disheartening, while the loss to West Indies in the semi-final of World Twenty20 was a galling blow, coming in front of an expectant crowd at the Wankhede stadium, Mumbai.

At the home stretch, Mumbai returned to their dominant era, clinching their 41st Ranji title. It could have been a double for Aditya Tare's men had complacency not allowed a meltdown against the Rest of India team, for the Irani Trophy.

Gujarat were the deserving winners of Vijay Hazare Trophy (the limited overs tournament), while Uttar Pradesh grabbed national limelight by winning the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament.

Ecstasy and disappointments aside, it's time for recognition - if there's one thing a cricketer craves for or rather any sportsman is 'recognition of their efforts'. CEAT Cricket awards adds value to not just the best global performances, but those under-the-radar, the ones who work tirelessly, at the Indian domestic scene.

The CEAT Cricket Ratings (CCR) has been one of the oldest and most popular indices to rate players at the international level. Formed in 1995 in association with Professional Management Group (PMG), the rating system came into fruition thanks to the efforts of three luminaries of world cricket, India's Sunil Gavaskar, West Indian legend, Sir Clive Lloyd, and Australian legendary batsman, Ian Chappell.

The CCR system takes into account performances in Test Cricket as well as in ODIs for a period of twelve months, between 1st April 2015 to 31st March 2016. A points based system is then determined before awards are given away on different criteria such as Best Batsman, Best bowler, Best Cricketer, Best Team as well as awards for U-19 and T20 performances.

West Indies' legend Brian Lara was the inaugural recipient of the award in 1995-96 while Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan has won the Cricketer of the Year thrice, most by any player. India's Virat Kohli is a close second with two awards and it wouldn't be a surprise if the Indian star goes past the Sri Lankan legend in the near future.

The late nineties and the early 2000s was the era of Australian dominance and it comes as no surprise that they have won the 'Team of the Year' award a whopping 10 times, including six on a stretch (from 2001-02 to 2006-07). However, this award has been discontinued after the 2011-12 season, with Pakistan winning the last one.

The 2015-16 CEAT awards is upon us and it's time to look at the nominations. These are the players who shone across different formats of the game, upon various age limits, right from U-19 to state level, from national to international. They haven't just brought accolades for themselves, but their performances have resulted in success at the big stage.

The nominations for this year's awards come from six major categories. As expected, the biggest honour is the 'Cricketer of the Year' award. The most prestigious of all awards, it has been categorized into two equal halves. The overseas section has drawn in the names of Australian captain, Steven Smith, England's latest sensations, Joe Root and Ben Stokes, New Zealand's swashbuckling opener, Martin Guptill as well as dashing Australian opener, David Warner.

Each player has deserved his nomination. Root and Stokes played dominant roles in England's Ashes success as well as the away win in South Africa. Steven Smith has become the fulcrum of Australia's batting while Warner's record at the top has been sensational. Add the revitalized Guptill to the list, you would find an enviable list of cricket's modern stars.

If the overseas stars reveal pomp and glory, their Indian counterparts aren't too far behind. The second segment of the 'Cricketer of the Year' award is that of Indian equals. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan and Ravichandran Ashwin are in the running. In a tight contest, every run and every ball is important, nothing much changes here either, these are the five men who stood tall amongst equals.

Turning to the 'International Bowler of the Year' category, Ashwin finds a second nomination, but he will have to stave off stiff competition which includes the likes of England's Stuart Broad, Pakistan's leg-spinner Yasir Shah, South Africa's pace ace, Kagiso Rabada and New Zealand's Matt Henry.

At the start of 2016, the Indian U-19 team enjoyed an exemplary run during the World Cup in Bangladesh, becoming the team to beat as the tournament progressed. It needed an inspired burst from West Indies to knock them off the perch, but by then, the team had shown that they had it in them to counter adversities. The boys had turned into men within a span of a single tournament. No wonder, five leading youngsters - Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Sarfaraz Khan, Avesh Khan and Mahipal Lomror - make the short-list for the 'CEAT Young Cricketer of the Year' award.

Any award ceremony isn't complete without recognizing the hard yards of 'grit and determination' shown by hundreds of aspiring Indian domestic cricketers. Shreyas Iyer was the find of the season and he rightfully finds a place in the list of 'Domestic Cricketer of the Year' award. Giving him company are Madhya Pradesh's Jalaj Saxena, Assam's Krishna Das, Mumbai's Akhil Herwadkar and Vidharbha's Akshay Wakhare.

A cricketer's greatest accomplishment will be the honour of being remembered even after his playing days. Last year, it was legendary all-rounder, Kapil Dev, who won the 'Life Achievement Award'. It will be interesting to see who takes home the prestigious award this time around.

On Monday (May 30), the leading lights of the game will be in full attendance as CEAT honours achievers of the year past. It's going to be a moment of joy and pride as the nation salutes its cricketing heroes. The past will reflect on glory, the present will bask in it and the future will seek inspiration.

It should be a night to remember for all cricket aficionados.