Indian skipper Rahul Dravid, who lost the race for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna to cueist Pankaj Advani last year, has again been recommended again for the country’s highest sports award.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has also recommended middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh and former women’s team captain Anjum Chopra for Arjuna Awards. Incidentally, Yuvraj too was recommended for the same award last year.
The Khel Ratna is given for the most spectacular and outstanding performance, and carries a cash award of Rs 5 lakh.
The Arjuna Award, given for good performance consistently for the previous three years, carries a cash award of Rs 3 lakh.
Dravid (34) has been the Indian team’s backbone for years now, averaging 57.46 with 9,366 runs including 24 centuries in the Test arena. He also aggregates 10,189 runs in one-day internationals.
Woman boxer Mary Kom and tennis Grand Slam winner Mahesh Bhupathi, also recommended last year, are the other athletes who have been recommended for the Khel Ratna this year.
Sachin Tendulkar is the only cricketer who has been bestowed the honour so far.
Yuvraj has emerged as a vital cog in the Indian line-up since making a memorable debut against World champions Australia in 2000.
Anjum, a left-handed batter from Delhi, played in 12 Tests and scored 548 runs. She also featured in 105 one-day internationals, scoring 2,465 runs.
