The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports announced on December 20 that Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami will get the prestigious Arjuna Award.
On January 9, Indian President Droupadi Murmu will bestow the medal on up to 25 people at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Meanwhile, the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award will be presented to badminton players Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.
What is the significance of this story?
The Arjuna Award, India’s second-highest athletic honor, is bestowed upon individuals who have excelled in sports and games. Meanwhile, the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award is the highest athletic honor.
The honorees’ names are announced annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Notably, the Khel Ratna award is usually given to a single athlete, but this has changed recently.
Shami made news during the World Cup 2023.
According to multiple media sites, the BCCI made a special request to the Sports Ministry to include Shami’s name on the Arjuna Award nominee list.
Shami finished the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, with 24 in seven games. He took three five-wicket hauls and one four-fer, including a career-high 7/57 in the semi-final. His score was 10.70.
Only Indian with a seven-fer in ODIs
Shami was a standout in India’s stunning victory over New Zealand in the 2023 World Cup semi-final. India bowled New Zealand out for 327 while defending 397, with the Indian seamer taking seven wickets.
He became the first Indian bowler to take seven wickets in an ODI. Shami currently has the best bowling returns in World Cup knockouts, breaking Gary Gilmour’s previous record.
Arjuna Award Recepients
Along with athletes Murali Sreeshankar and Parul Chaudhary, other recipients of the Arjuna Award are shooters Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Esha Singh, archers Aditi Swami, 17, and Ojas Pravin Deotale, wrestlers Sunil Kumar (Greco-Roman) and Antim Panghal, paddler Ayhika Mukherjee, squash pro Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu, and wushu expert Roshibina Devi. They all won medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Other prominent winners include golfer Diksha Dagar and R. Vaishali, Praggnanandhaa’s sister, who recently became a Grandmaster. Sheetal Devi (archery) and Prachi Yadav (canoeing) will also be honored with the Arjuna Award.
Other notable honorees
Besides this, the Dronacharya Award will be presented to RB Ramesh (chess), Lalit Kumar (wrestling), Mahaveer Prasad Saini (para athletics), Shivendra Singh (hockey), and Ganesh Prabhakar Devrukhkar (mallakhamb). Jaskirat Singh Grewal, Bhaskaran E (kabaddi), and Jayanta Kumar Pushilal (table tennis) will be honored in the lifetime category.
