India’s star pacer Mohammed Shami is set to receive the prestigious Arjuna Award. Shami, along with other awardees, will receive the honours from the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 9, 2024.
The veteran bowler was the top wicket-taker in the ODI World Cup 2023, taking 24 wickets in 7 matches. Shami is the only cricketer out of 26 athletes to receive the award this year.
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The Arjuna Award is India’s second highest sporting accolade for sports and games. Shami had a phenomenal year, leading India’s bowling attack to a dominant performance in the recently concluded World Cup.
Shami, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, was one of the top wicket-taker in the ODI format this year, with 43 wickets in just 19 innings. He has also been consistent in the red-ball format, playing a key role in India’s emergence as the No.1 team in the ICC rankings in all three formats of the game this year.
The BCCI had made a specific request to the Ministry of Sports to add Shami’s name as he was initially not included in the second highest sporting honour list.
In addition, 25 other sportspersons are up for the Arjuna Award in 2023. Among them, India’s top badminton pair, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, are up for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, the country’s top sporting honor.
Editors pick
