MS Dhoni, former Indian cricket team skipper and Pankaj Advani have been chosen for the Padma Bhushan award on the eve of India’s 68th Republic Day.
Former India cricket captain MS and multiple world champion cueist Pankaj Advani were today conferred with the country’s third-highest civilian award, Padma Bhushan.
Besides the duo, 2017 World Weightlifting Champion in the 48kg category, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu and former Asian Games gold medallist tennis player Somdev Devvarman were conferred with the Padma Shri award.
Besides, ace men’s singles shuttler Kidambi Srikanth also won the Padma Shri along side India’s first Paralympic gold medalist, Murlikant Petkar.
Petkar won an individual gold medal in the 1972 Summer Paralympics, in Heidelberg, Germany. He set a world record in the 50 m freestyle swimming event, at 37.33 seconds.
In the same games he participated in javelin, precision javelin throw and slalom. He was a finalist in all three events.
Dhoni has been the recipient of many awards, including the ICC ODI Player of the Year award in 2008 and 2009 (the first player to win the award twice), the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 2007 and the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian honour in 2009.
Considered as the country’s most successful cricket captain, Dhoni led India to two World Cup triumphs — in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 held in South Africa in September 2007 and the 2011 ICC ODI World Cup. India also won ICC Champions Trophy under him.
It was under his captaincy that India climbed to No. 1 in the ICC Test Rankings in December 2009.