Three Indian Cricketers Who Deserved To Win The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award

Rohit Sharma, charismatic Indian opener, was recently nominated by the Board of Control For Cricket in India [BCCI] for the highest sporting honor- the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.

Sharma, when he gets it, will join the elite list of Indian cricketers like Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, World Cup-winning captain MS Dhoni and current skipper Virat Kohli as the only cricketers to have won the award.

Here’s a look at three Indian cricketers who should have also been conferred with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award-

Also Read: Five Cricketers Who Began Their Careers As Bowlers But Ended Up As Batsmen

Sourav Ganguly

Where should I start really? God of off-side? Slayer of left-arm spinners? Godfather of modern-day Indian cricket? Aggressive? In your face? Champion Leader? An instigator of a whirlwind change in the approach of Indian cricket?

Honestly, You can write a million objectives and even they wouldn’t be enough to describe the greatness of Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly achieved almost everything a cricketer can possibly dream of.

A dream debut? Check. 10,000 ODI runs? Check. Reincarnating Indian cricket after the 2000 match-fixing scandal? Check. Preparing future stars? Check. Test wins in overseas conditions? Check. Making a comeback against the odds heavily stacked against him in 2006? Check. Check. Check

Ganguly was conferred with the prestigious Arjuna Award in 1997 and Padma Shri in 2004 and it boggles me no end why he wasn’t conferred with the highest sporting award in the country- Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna.

Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid was not only a brilliant batsman; his 10,000-plus runs in both Test and ODI cricket testify that to the hilt, but he was a student of the game; someone who always thrived in obscure conditions and someone who kept his teams’ interests ahead of his own personal ambitions.

“India needs a Test opener. Rahul, can you please open?” Check. “Rahul, we need to play an extra batsman in the ODI team. Can you please put on your wicket-keeping gloves?” Check. “Rahul, we are struggling in overseas conditions. Can you please make a comeback to the One-day team?” Check. Check. Check.

Dravid was an epitome of what you call selflessness. The former Indian captain, who led his side to its maiden Test win in South Africa and series wins in West Indies and England, was conferred with numerous prestigious awards like Arjuna Award [1998], Padma Shri [2004] and Padma Bhushan in 2013. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award? Sadly, no! But, to be honest, whose loss is it? Surely not Dravid’s!

Zaheer Khan

It was the year 2000. Javagal Srinath was in his last few years as an international cricketer. Srinath had carried the Indian pace-attack for almost a decade and the Men in Blue desperately needed someone to take over the reins from the legendary fast bowler.

Enter Zaheer Khan. Khan burst on the scene during the 2000 ICC Knockout in Kenya where he impressed with his precocious pace and ability to nail deadly yorkers. Ask Steven Waugh.

Khan’s career was marred with injuries during the first five years of his career and it was only after his county stint in 2005-06 when we saw the left-arm fast bowler come off age

From 2006 to 2011, Zaheer was like- and I hate to make comparisons but purely on the value, he lent to the team- the Sachin Tendulkar of Indian bowling. He played a crucial role in India winning the 2007 and 2009 Test series win in England and New Zealand and of-course the 2011 World Cup where he constantly gave crucial breakthroughs in the middle-overs.

Post the 2011 World Cup, Khan’s tryst with injuries once again surfaced and eventually retired in 2014.

Khan was conferred with the Arjuna Award in 2011 but he too missed out from the highest sporting honor- Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.

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