Virat Kohli could add another feather to his cap in the near future after it was reported that the Indian cricket team captain’s name had been recommended for the Khel Ratna award by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
According to a tweet by news agency ANI, the BCCI put forward Kohli’s name for the country’s highest sporting honour, while former India captain Sunil Gavaskar’s name has been recommended for the Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports.
The 29-year-old Kohli had earlier been awarded the Padma Shri in 2017 and had also won an Arjuna award in 2013.
The Indian skipper has been in a prolific run of form in recent times and is widely regarded as one of the best cricketers of the current generation.
Earlier, BCCI had recommended the names of Smriti Mandhana and Shikhar Dhawan, openers in the Indian women’s and men’s national teams, respectively, for the Arjuna award.
The 21-year-old Mandhana had played a key role in India reaching the final of the ICC Women’s World Cup in England last year. Her prolific run this year has seen her grab a career-high fourth position in the ICC women’s rankings.
The 32-year-old Dhawan is presently playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Sunrisers Hyderabad and has been a regular across all three formats for India. Ever since a debut Test hundred against Australia in 2013, Dhawan has been a crucial cog in the Indian batting line-up.
