Virat Kohli to receive Padma Shri tomorrow
Virat Kohli will be awarded India's fourth-highest civilian award, the Padma Shri, for his contribution to Indian cricket, the government officially announced on Wednesday. It has also been reported that former Indian skipper MS Dhoni will be awarded the Padma Bhushan.
Kohli will become the 31st cricketer to win the Padma Shri award with the latest one being Indian Women’s ODI team skipper Mithali Raj. Olympic bronze medalist Sakshi Malik, Dipa Karmakar, Vikas Gowda and PR Sreejesh will also be awarded the Padma Shri award.
Kohli had a magnificent 2016, where led the team to the No. 1 Test ranking before taking over the reins from MS Dhoni as the limited-overs captain as well. In the last one year, Kohli has scored 1215 runs in 12 Tests at an average of 75.93, including three double centuries.
India's skipper played only 10 ODI matches in 2016 but underlined his status as one of the best in the 50-over format with innings that left even his critics awestruck. The right-hander scored 45 or more in eight of his 10 innings in the year, notching back-to-back centuries in a run feast against Australia in January and then struck a magnificent 154 not out in a successful pursuit of 289 against New Zealand, more than half of his team's total.
Kohli was also instrumental in India's World Twenty20 campaign where he won the Player of the Tournament award. He scored 273 runs in the tournament in five games with a strike rate of 146.77.
Sakshi Malik had become the first Indian to win a medal at the Rio Olympics, ending an 11-day drought and will receive the Padma Shri award. Agartala-born Dipa Karmakar will receive the award tomorrow on the eve of India’s 68th Republic day. Although Dipa Karmakar finished fourth in Gymnastics, she came in for a lot of praise due to her indomitable spirit and zeal to succeed at the world stage.
It was earlier reported that Olympic silver-medalist PV Sindhu and her coach Pullela Gopichand will also be conferred the prestigious award.
Reports have also emerged that MS Dhoni may get the Padma Bhushan award. If that happens, Dhoni will become the ninth cricketer to win the award and will join the elite list of CK Nayudu, Maharajkumar of Vizianagram, Vinoo Mankad, Lala Amarnath, Dinkar Deodhar, Kapil Dev, Chandu Borde and Sunil Gavaskar. Chandu Borde was the last cricketer to be conferred with the
The awards will be officially announced today evening.