India vice-captain and Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma thanked the Sports Ministry and the BCCI for acknowledging his efforts and conferring him with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.
Rohit becomes the fourth Indian cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar (1997/98), MS Dhoni (2007) and Virat Kohli (2018) to be awarded the Khel Ratna, the nation’s highest sporting honour.
In a video posted by BCCI on Twitter, Rohit said, “It feels great to receive the highest sporting honour in the land. I feel privileged and would like to thank the Sports Ministry and the BCCI for acknowledging and recommending my name.”
I am very happy and feel privileged to receive this honour. I promise to keep working hard. Fans are my support system & I am sure they will keep backing us: @ImRo45 on his Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, India’s highest sporting honour. pic.twitter.com/30d6vb6WMz— BCCI (@BCCI) August 27, 2020
Rohit, who had dream World Cup last year where he accounted for 1490 runs at an average of 57.30, will become only the fourth cricketer to be conferred with Khel Ratna.
“I promise to keep working hard and bring more laurels to the country.
Named the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year for 2019, Rohit became the first player in the history of the game to score five ODI centuries in one edition of the World Cup.
He is also the first batsman to score four T20I centuries and is the first player to have twin centuries in his maiden appearance as a Test opener.
“It is a wonderful group to be part of. They (Sachin, Dhoni and Kohli) have brought so much joy to the country and to be part of this list it is a great honour.”
“To be recognised when you do something for your country is always motivating.”
“Fans are my support system & I am sure they will keep backing us"
Rohit, who has been recognised for his brilliance with the bat in the India colours, however has his eyes firmly set on defending the IPL title with the Mumbai Indians in UAE. He is the most decorated IPL captain till now as Mumbai have won the trophy four times under his leadership.
Honourable President of India Ram Nath Kovind will confer the awards to the awardees at a specially organized function through virtual mode from Rashtrapati Bhawan on 29th August, 2020.