New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India has recommended Test captain Virat Kohli for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, the country’s highest sporting honour, and Ajinkya Rahane for the Arjuna Award this year.
If Kohli is bestowed the honour, he will become only the third cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar and the Mahendra Singh Dhoni to do so. It is after a gap of four years that a cricketer has been recommended for the Khel Ratna.
Sachin in Rio ‘team’
Meanwhile, cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar on Tuesday accepted the Indian Olympic Association’s invitation to be one of the country’s goodwill ambassadors for the Rio Games in August, days after Bollywood star Salman Khan’s appointment for the role had created a furore.
Tendulkar confirmed his support for the Rio-bound athletes and expressed willingness to meet the Indian contingent before they depart for Brazil, in a letter to IOA chiefs. “I have had the privilege and honour of representing our nation for 25 years and I continue to bat for India off the field,” wrote Tendulkar. “It will be my pleasure to meet these world-class athletes before they leave for Rio to learn preparations,” added the Master Blaster.
