India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Friday received the Arjuna Award — which was conferred on him last year — from Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
Ashwin was not present during the award ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan on August 29, 2014 as he was the part of ODI touring England at the time. The 28-year-old has 124 wickets in 25 Tests, 139 wickets in 99 ODIs and 26 wickets in 25 T20 Internationals.
"I have been very lucky, I thank god for that. It has been a good journey. I hope I serve the country better and get more awards," Ashwin told reporters.
Ashwin, who is part of the Indian team that will tour Sri Lanka for a three-Test series beginning on August 12, took pride in his recent performances and said he wanted to quickly adapt to the conditions in the island nation.
"I want to go there and get used to the conditions. I just want to enjoy my game. I am doing really well, the ball is coming out well so I just want to enjoy myself. Pressure is never a factor for me, it is something that we are used to all the time, " he said.
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