Kohli receives India’s highest sporting award
New Delhi: India cricket captain Virat Kohli was conferred country’s highest sporting award Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in a ceremony here on Tuesday.
Kohli became the third cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar (1997-98) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (2007) to win the honour.
The Delhi batsman, ranked No.1 on ICC Rankings for batsmen in both Tests and one-day internationals, was rested after India's tour of England, where they lost the Tests 4-1, with Rohit Sharma taking over captaincy duties for the Asia Cup.
Even as Kohli was collecting the honour, his team-mates were getting ready to take on Afghanistan in their Super Four match.
Meanwhile, India women’s cricketer Smriti Mandhana was among the 20 sportspersons chosen for the Arjuna award, which also recognises sporting achievement for the year. She became the 10th female cricketer to win the award. "It definitely motivates me to be a better player and perform well,” she said recently.
