The Board of Control for Cricket in India nominated Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the Padma Bhushan on Wednesday, the country’s third highest civilian award for his contribution to the game, reported PTI.
A senior BCCI official confirmed that they have only sent one name for the Padma awards this year and it was a unanimous decision to nominate India’s most successful captain.
“Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been nominated by the BCCI for the Padma Bhushan award. There was no doubt among the members that Dhoni has impeccable credentials. Two World titles (the 50-over World Cup in 2011 and the World Twenty20 in 2007), nearly 10,000 runs, 90 Test matches. There is no one better than him, who could have been nominated,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
The 36-year-old is already a recipient of the Arjuna, Khel Ratna and the Padma Shri award. If conferred with Padma Bhushan, he will become the 11th Indian cricketer to get the third highest civilian honour.
Some of the notable international cricketers who have received the Padma Bhushan award are Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid, Chandu Borde, Prof DB Deodhar, Col CK Nayudu, and Lala Amarnath. The lesser known names include Raja Bhalindra Singh of Patiala, who played 13 first-class matches, and Vijaya Anand – the Maharaja of Vizianagram, who was India’s captain during their 1936 tour to England.
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