Rohit Sharma became the fourth Indian cricketer to be conferred with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. Rohit joins an elite list of Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli as the only four Indian cricketers to have been awarded India’s highest sporting honour. He is also the first non-captain cricketer from the country to be named for the top award. Rohit, India’s limited-overs vice-captain, was named as one of the five recipients of the award for the year 2020. Fans immediately took to social media to wish the ‘Hitman’ on the special achievement and praised him for his batting. Rohit Sharma, Vinesh Phogat Among Five to Win Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 2020; Ishant Sharma to Be Conferred Arjuna Award (See Full Winners’ List).

Rohit will be joined by Asian and Commonwealth Games Gold winning-wrestler Vinesh Phogat, Table Tennis champion Manika Batra, India hockey women’s captain Rani Rampal and Paralympic gold medallist in high jump Mariappan Thangavelu as the five sportspersons to be awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2020. This will be the first time in the history of National Sports that the country’s top sporting honour will be awarded to five different sportspersons in a single year. Rohit Sharma's Daughter Samira Helps Him With Packing His Bags, Jets Off to UAE With Mom and Dad Dressed in PPE Kits, See Pics Posted by Mumbai Indians.

Among cricketers, Sachin Tendulkar, who received the award in 1998, was the first Indian cricketer to bag the Khel Ratna. Dhoni received it in 2007 after leading India to the ICC T20 World Cup glory while Kohli was awarded the honour in 2018 for his batting heroics. Kohli received it jointly along with weightlifter Mirabai Chanu.

'We Are All Proud of You' Rohit Sharma

You Deserve It

Congratulations Hitman

First Non-Captain Indian Cricketer to Receive the Top Award

Well Deserved Rohit

Yuvraj Singh Congratulates Rohit Sharma

RP Singh Congratulates the Hitman

Fourth Indian Cricketer to Receive the Highest Sporting Honour

All the other three cricketers before him have captained India making Rohit the first non-captain Indian cricketer to bag the Khel Ratna award. The 33-year-old will be awarded for his batting. Rohit had a sensational season last year where he scored 1490 ODI runs and also finished as the highest run-getter at the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup with five centuries to his name. He is the first player to score five ODI hundreds at a single World Cup edition.

Meanwhile, fellow cricketers Ishant Sharma and women’s all-rounder Deepti Sharma re among the 27 sportspersons to be given the Arjuna Award. The award ceremony for both Khel Ratna and the Arjuna Award will be conducted virtually on August 29 with President Ramnath Kovind giving way the awards.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 22, 2020 08:49 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).