Virat Kohli conferred with India’s highest sporting award

NEW DELHI: India men’s cricket team captain Virat Kohli was on Tuesday conferred with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award by President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, a media report said. 

Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu was also conferred with the highest civilian award, according to a report published by the Indian Express.

The annual National Sports Awards were bestowed on the best athletes that the country has seen in the past one year.

Kohli is the third cricketer to be awarded the Khel Ratna after Sachin Tendulkar (1997) and MS Dhoni (2007).

Indian cricket board BCCI had recommended Kohli for the past three years but in 2016 he missed out owing to the Olympics where the award went to wrestler Sakshi Malik, shuttler PV Sindhu and gymnast Deepa Karmakar.

Last year it went to hockey player Sardar Singh and para-athlete Devendra Jhajharia.

Earlier in the day, Chanu reflected on her excitement at the honour.

“A really big day for me as I receive the prestigious #RajivGandhiKhelRatnaAward at the #RashtrapatiBhawan today. A big thanks to everyone who have supported me all throughout this journey. Special thanks to my family, my coaches, Govt, Federation, and my fans. Indeed grateful!” she wrote in a tweet. Chanu is the third weightlifter to win the prize after Karnam Malleswari (1995) and Nameirakpam Kunjarani (1996).

Khel Ratna, the highest sporting award, is usually awarded to two athletes with exceptional cases taking the count to three with shuttler Kidambi Srikanth also recommended subject to Sports Ministry’s approval.

Twenty athletes were conferred with the Arjuna Award including javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, sprinter Jinson Johnson and Hima Das, shuttler N Sikki Reddy, cricketer Smriti Mandhana and table tennis player Manika Batra to name a few. Batra tweeted, “As I go on to receive the prestigious #ArjunaAward today i really want to thank everyone who have supported me all these while. I would continue to strive for the best and bring more glory for the nation.”