Mohammed Shami In Contention To Receive Prestigious Arjuna Award After World Cup Heroics

India fast bowler Mohammed Shami is reportedly in the running to receive the prestigious Arjuna Award. His name has been recommended for this year’s Arjuna Award by the selection committee after his brilliant performance in the 2023 World Cup.

Mohammed Shami finished the tournament as the highest wicket-taker despite not playing the first four games. He got a chance in the playing eleven only because of an unfortunate injury to allrounder Hardik Pandya and grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

In seven games, the right-arm pacer picked up a staggering 24 wickets with the help of a record three five-wicket hauls including a 7-fer against New Zealand in the semifinal. He became the Indian bowler with the most wickets in a single edition of the World Cup. Mohammed Shami also became the first-ever Indian bowler to touch the 50-wicket mark in the World Cup.

Mohammed Shami in line to receive the Arjuna Award:

According to a report in ANI, the BCCI made a special request to the Sports Ministry to include Mohammed Shami’s name in the list for the Arjuna Award as earlier it was not present on the list. Arjuna Award is the second-highest sporting honor. The last cricketer to win the award was Shikhar Dhawan in 2021.

Mohammed Shami has not played any competitive game since the World Cup final on November 19. The right-arm pacer is likely to return to action when India take on South Africa in the two-match Test series later this month. Although he has been named in the Test squad, his inclusion is subject to fitness, the BCCI has announced. The star bowler is currently recovering from an ankle injury.

According to reports, he is unlikely to play any white-ball game for India in the coming days due to workload management. The BCCI reportedly wants to keep him fit for the Tests. However, it won’t hurt his chances of playing in the T20 World Cup next year. A good outing in IPL 2024 could very well put him in contention for the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be played in June 2024.