New
Delhi: Cricketer Virat Kohli has been recommended for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
award, the nation’s biggest sports honor, by the Board of Control for Cricket
in India (BCCI), with Ajinkya Rahane in line to receive the Arjuna award.
Having
replaced MS Dhoni as India’s regular Test captain mid-way during the Australian
tour in 2014-15, Kohli led India to an impressive series win in Sri Lanka
before blanking the then number one Test playing nation, South Africa, by a 3-0
margin at home.
The
27-year-old cricketer has been India’s pillar of strength in the shorter
formats of the game and enjoyed tremendous success with the bat, during
consecutive World T20s, in 2014 and 2016, named Player of the tournament, both
times.
“We
have received the recommendations from the BCCI. Their names will be sent to
the awards selection committee,” a sports ministry official said. If Kohli is
awarded the prestigious honor, he will become the third cricketer after Sachin
Tendulkar (1997-98) and MS Dhoni (2007-08) to be bestowed with the honour.
While
Kohli has been recommended for the country’s highest honor, Ajinkya Rahane is
in line to receive the Arjuna award. Rahane has been India’s best overseas
batsman in recent times and capped off a wonderful 2015 with hundreds in both
innings in the fourth Test against South Africa, in Delhi.
The
Khel Ratna carries a cash reward of Rs 7.5 lakh along with a citation, while
the Arjuna award consists of a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh and a citation.
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