MS Dhoni and Pankaj Advani awarded Padma Bhushan
Former Indian captain MS Dhoni has been awarded the prestigious Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian award, along with Indian billiards/snooker player Pankaj Advani. Dhoni has become the first cricketer to be awarded the honour since Rahul Dravid had won it way back in 2013.
The achievements of MS Dhoni as India's limited-overs captain are unparalleled as he remains the only captain to win all the three major ICC trophies. During his tenure as the skipper of the Indian side, Dhoni added honours at will to his overflowing Trophy cabinet and now, it has been added with one more prestigious medal.
Dhoni has joined the illustrious company of CK Nayudu, Maharajkumar of Vizianagram, Lala Amarnath, DB Deodhar, Kapil Dev, Chandu Borde, Rahul Dravid, and Bhalindra Singh as the recipient of the award for the contribution in the field of sports.
In 2007, Dhoni, for his success as a skipper to win a World Cup after 24 years in 2007, was selected for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award - the country's highest honour for a sportsperson. With that, Dhoni had become the second cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar to receive the prestigious award. The former Indian skipper also won the Padmashri award in 2009.
Apart from Dhoni, 18-time World Champion Pankaj Advani has also received the award for his contribution to the sport in the country.
Philipose Mar Chrysostom, Alexander Kadakia, Ramachandram Nagaswamy, Laxman Pai, Ved Prakash Nanda, Arvind Parikh, and Sharda Sinha are the other awardees in 2018.