Bengaluru, Aug 22: India opener and limited over vice-captain Rohit Sharma will be conferred the prestigious Khel Ratna award this year.
Rohit, along with star female wrestler Vinesh Phogat, para-athlete Mariyappan Thangavelu, women's hockey captain Rani Rampal and female table tennis sensation Manika Batra will be conferred the prestigious award this year.
The ODI skipper took to Twitter to dedicate the award to all his fans for their unwavering support, saying that this “wouldn’t have been possible” without them.
"It's been a wonderful ride and to receive such a sporting honour is a great privilege and I am very happy about it and I owe this to you all. Without your support, it wouldn't have been possible," India's white-ball skipper said on Twitter.
Thank you for all your wishes and lots of love. pic.twitter.com/vbKaTbfwd7
— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) August 22, 2020
"Keep supporting and I promise to bring much more laurels for the country. Since we are practising social distancing, a virtual hug from me to all of you guys," said the man who hit an unprecedented five hundreds in a single ODI World Cup during the 2019 edition in England.
Rohit is the fourth cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli to receive the prestigious award. Virat Kohli was the last cricketer to have won the award along with weightlifter Mirabai Chanu back in 2018.
The Mumbaikar had a phenomenal 2019 and has been rewarded for his performances across the formats. He created history by slamming five centuries during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 and even shined as an opener in Test cricket in the series against South Africa where he slammed a couple of centuries and a double century.
The awards will be conferred on August 29, which is the birth anniversary of Hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand. That day is also celebrated as National Sports Day.