4 Cricketers Who Have Won The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award

Cricketers have always dreamt of being honored with the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and it is one of the most memorable moments for any cricketer. Not a lot of cricketers have the privilege of getting the honorable award and it is the highest-ranked award in India in the sports category.

It does require a different level of dedication and it is earned by some consistent levels of excellence in any sporting field. It makes the cricketer feel like be part of a special group of cricketers and here are four cricketers who have won the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.

4 Cricketers Who Have Won The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award:

Sachin Tendulkar:

The great man, Sachin Tendulkar was the first cricketer ever to win the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award among the 45 sportsmen who have won the award so far. Sachin received the award in 1998 for his services to Indian cricket in the previous 10 years(1989-1998) after having started his career in 1989.

Sachin made his debut in international cricket at the age of 16, and he finished with 100 centuries in international cricket while retiring. It was a massive feat and he holds most of the records in the game with almost 34,000 runs in international cricket in around 660 games. He deserves the award and is popularly called the little master.

MS Dhoni:

Another legendary batsman who retired from international cricket last year, MS Dhoni received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2007. It took just three years for him after making his international debut in 2004 and such was his impact on the team since his debut.

Dhoni averaged more than 50 in the ODI format and he was one of the greatest finishers in the game with an excellent success percentage. He captained India to a 50 over World Cup win in 2011 and the 20 over WorldCup win in 2007.

Virat Kohli:

Virat Kohli is India’s greatest match-winner until now and it is not a surprise that he won the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2018. But it almost, took him ten years after making his debut in 2008 to win the prestigious award and it was always on the cards.

The Indian skipper Virat Kohli is one of the best batsmen in the modern era and his efforts for the nation have been staggering. He has been so consistent for the Indian side with almost an average of more than 50 in all the formats and he is tipped to be the master of chases.

Rohit Sharma:

Rohit Sharma received the Rajiv Ratna Khel Ratna award in 2020 for his exploits in international cricket for India and he has taken India to greater heights alongside Virat Kohli. The elegant right-hander is one of the best timers of the cricket ball.

Rohit broke a lot of records in the 2019 Worldcup with a lot of centuries and it was evident that he should get the award sooner or later. Rohit holds the record for the highest individual score in ODI cricket with an unbeaten 264 against Sri Lanka and he is a big name in India cricket at the moment having started his career in 2007.