For the second year in a row, no cricketer has been shortlisted for the National Sports Awards, with the selection committee on Wednesday unveiling its recommendations for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards. India men’s hockey team vice-captain Hardik Singh emerged as the sole recommendation for this year’s Khel Ratna, while 24 athletes were named for the Arjuna Award.
The 27-year-old Hardik has been India’s midfield mainstay and was a part of both the 2021 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympic Games medal-clinching teams. This year, he was a part of India’s Asia Cup gold-winning side. In a first, a Yogasan athlete, Aarti Pal, has been recommended for the Arjuna award, five years after it was formally recognised by the Sports Ministry.
Arjuna Award
The panel features, among others, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Vice President Gagan Narang, former badminton player Aparna Popat and former hockey player M M Somaya.
The 19-year-old Deshmukh is the first Indian woman to win the World Cup. Fellow chess player Vidit Gujrathi has also been recommended for the Arjuna alongside Tejaswin Shankar, who won a historic silver medal in the Asian Games in 2023 and followed it up with a second-place finish in the Asian Championships earlier this year.
Rifle shooter Mehuli Ghosh, a two-time World Championship bronze-winner besides being a multiple-time medallist at the Asian Championships, gymnast Pranati Nayak and India’s numero uno women’s badminton combo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand are also among the recommendations for the Arjuna.
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