Watch: India skipper Virat Kohli receives Padma Shri at Rashtrapati Bhavan

New Delhi: India skipper Virat Kohli received the Padma Shri award on Thursday, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The fourth-highest civilian award in India was presented to Kohli by President Pranab Mukherjee.

(Photo: PTI)

Kohli captains India in all the three formats of the game after Mahendra Singh Dhoni stepped down as skipper of the limited-overs side. The prolific batsman is among the most feared batsmen in world cricket right now.

(Photo: PTI)

Kohli took to his social media accounts, saying: “What an absolute honor and a memorable day to receive the Padma Shri award from the President of India. These days last a lifetime. God's been kind. Jai Hind.”

Eight sportspersons including Kohli were nominated for the prestigious Padma Shri. The other sportspersons are Rio Olympics heroes wrestler Sakshi Malik, gymnast Dipa Karmakar, Paralympian Mariyappan Thangavelu and Deepa Malik, hockey captain PR Sreejesh, discus thrower Vikas Gowda and blind cricket team captain Shekhar Naik.

(Photo: PTI)

The Padma awards were started in 1954, to felicitate Indians, who have excelled in different fields – arts, literature, sports, social work, medicine, science, civil service, and others.

The three categories of Padma awards that are doled out are Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri, in descending order.