5 Indian Cricketers with Khel Ratna Award

For any sports personality in India, receiving Khel Ratna Award from the President of India is one of the best moments in his/her life. It requires sheer excellence and diligence from a sportsperson to earn this honour. Instituted in 1991-92, Viswanathan Anand was the first to receive this award. Later, Leander Paes, Abhinav Bindra, M.C. Mary Kom, and Gagan Narang also joined the list. Apart from other sports, some cricketers have also taken this honour home for their standout displays over a period of four years. As of 2022, 55 sportsmen have received this honour, of which five are cricketers. Among these five cricketers, two are still serving the nation with dedication, while the other three hung their boots after providing their valuable services to the country for a long time. Here are five cricketers who received Khel Ratna Award 5. Mithali Raj In 2021, Mithali Raj created history as she received the highest sporting honour of India, the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award from the former President of India Ram Nath Kovind. Along with her, some other notable sports personalities, such as Neeraj Chopra (Javelin), Sunil Chhetri (Football), Lovlina Borgohain (Boxing), P Sreejesh (Hockey) got the award in a function organised at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. Mithali became the first woman cricketer in 2017, to have seven consecutive half-centuries in women’s ODI cricket. She also holds the record of smashing the most half-centuries (64) in Women’s One-Day Internationals. The swashbuckling former India Women’s batter made her international debut in 1999, at the age of 16. In her debut year, she hit a century against Ireland and became the youngest centurion in women’s cricket. The veteran held this record for 22 years until Ireland's Amy Hunter smashed unbeaten 121 runs against Zimbabwe in 2021. In 2022, she announced her retirement from all forms of career after giving her valuable services to the India Women’s team for almost 23 years. 4. Rohit Sharma The current India skipper, Rohit Sharma became the fourth cricketer to get the prestigious Khel Ratna Award in 2020. Along with Sharma, wrestler Vinesh Phogat, Rani Rampal (Hockey), paralympic high jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu, and Table Tennis player Manika Batra were also conferred with this award. Before becoming the recipient of this award, Sharma played fantastic cricket from 2016-19. The fiery India opener smashed 648 runs with five centuries for India in nine matches of the 2019 World Cup and became the leading run-scorer of the tournament. Earlier in 2017, he notched up his third double-century in ODIs against Sri Lanka in Mohali. Currently, he is holding the captaincy mantle of the Indian team across all formats since February 2022. Being the leader of the ODI format, the 'Hitman' will definitely eye on winning the 50-over World Cup, scheduled to be played in India in the latter half of 2023, to add to his list of enormous achievements. 3. Virat Kohli The dashing India batter Virat Kohli joined the elite list of Khel Ratna awardees with the weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu in 2018. The star cricketer got the highest honour at the hands of the then President of India Ramnath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. In 2017, Kohli looked in sensational form for the national team as he scored 2,818 runs with 11 centuries and 10 fifties in 46 international games. Just before becoming the national award winner, he toured England for five Test matches and racked up 593 runs with two tons and three half-centuries in 10 innings of five matches. After having given up the leadership role of the national side, the 'run-machine' is an active part of the huddle, providing useful contributions to the team in the recent past, and is also passing his experience to help nurture the younger generation of players coming up. 2. Mahendra Singh Dhoni MS Dhoni became the second cricketer in 2008, to get the Khel Ratna Award. In August 2008, Dhoni’s father, Paan Singh, received the prestigious award on his behalf as he was busy serving the Indian team in an ODI series in Sri Lanka. With the award, the legendary cricketer’s father also received Rs 5,00,000, a scroll of honour, and a medal for his remarkable display in the sport. Dhoni, who grabbed the limelight for his sensational leadership skills after winning the 2007 World Cup, helped India register a maiden ODI series victory in Australia as well in 2008. Under his captaincy, India created history by defeating Sri Lanka and the hosts Australia in the tri-series. The iconic Indian cricketer played his last international game in the 2019 World Cup against New Zealand. On the occasion of the 73rd Independence Day, he bid adieu to international cricket after having a career of more than 15 years. However, the 41-year-old is still active in the Indian Premier League (IPL). 1. Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Tendulkar was the first-ever cricketer to win the Khel Ratna award in 1997-98 for his exceptional performance in the sport. The batting maestro got the award from the then President of India, KR Narayanan. Prior to becoming a Khel Ratna awardee, Tendulkar showcased his dominance in international cricket. In 1997, he scored 1,011 runs with two tons and five half-centuries in 39 ODI matches. The ace-batter displayed his class in Test cricket as well. Amassing 1,000 runs in 17 innings of 12 games, he looked brilliant in the longest form of the game too. The 'Master Blaster's' international career spanned over 24 years, as he quit the sport after playing his 200th Test against the West Indies in 2013. Currently, he is actively involved in the Mumbai Indians' camp, and acts as a mentor for the five-time champions IPL franchise. For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS App Store and Google Play Store

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5 Indian Cricketers with Khel Ratna Award

These five cricketers are part of the elite list of sportspersons who won the distinguished Khel Ratna Award.

3. Virat Kohli

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