Rohit Sharma to be honoured with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
India cricket team vice-captain Rohit Sharma is set to join an elite list of cricketers to be conferred with the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, the country’s highest sporting honour.
The Indian Sports Ministry, on Friday, named the ace cricketer from Mumbai along with four other athletes who will receive the Khel Ratna later this month.
Rohit Sharma, who was picked as an Icon Player in the first season of T20 Mumbai, will be the fourth cricketer to be honoured with the Khel Ratna after T20 Mumbai League Ambassador Sachin Tendulkar (1998), former skipper MS Dhoni (2007) and current captain Virat Kohli (2018).
Athletes that have shown outstanding performance in their sport in the last four years are considered for the award.
In the period of consideration, Sharma made an immense contribution to the team and broke several individual records with his batting heroics, especially in 2019.
The 33-year-old enjoyed tremendous success last year, finishing as the world’s highest-run getter in One-Day Internationals in the calendar year.
India’s run to the finals in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup was also driven by Rohit Sharma’s stellar batting display throughout the tournament.
The opener scored heaps of runs against all oppositions, amassing 648 runs while scoring five centuries, the most in a single World Cup campaign. Sharma finished as the highest run-scorer of the big-ticket event.
Earlier, at the time of his nomination by the BCCI, Rohit Sharma expressed gratitude towards his fellow players and well-wishers.
“I am extremely honoured and humbled to be nominated for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award by the BCCI,” said Sharma. “I am grateful to the BCCI, my teammates, support staff, fans of the game and my family for sticking by me.”
Along with Rohit Sharma, table tennis star Manika Batra, wrestler Vinesh Phogat, Paralympian Mariappan Thangavelu, and Indian women’s hockey captain Rani Rampal will also be bestowed up with the Khel Ratna.
Indian cricketers Ishant Sharma and Deepti Sharma will be honoured with the Arjuna Award.
Rohit Sharma has left for the United Arab Emirates with Mumbai Indians to participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which begins next month.