Mohammed Shami, who received the Arjuna Award at Rashtrapati Bhawan, posted a touching message on social media.
President Draupadi Murmu presented the Arjuna Award to 26 athletes on Tuesday, including veteran Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami. The president presented Shami with the prize in person. Shami was the best bowler for India in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Shami thanked his teammates, family, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and other people on social media after winning the second-highest sporting honor in India.
“I am overjoyed that the President has bestowed upon me the esteemed Arjuna Award today. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who has supported me through my highs and lows and helped me get this far. Special thanks go out to my coach, BCCI, teammates, family, staff, and most importantly, my fans. Thank you for acknowledging my efforts. I’ll always do my hardest to represent my nation with pride. Once more, I want to thank everyone. Cheers to all the other recipients of the Arjun Award,” Shami wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Shami was present to accept the honors; she is still recuperating from an ankle injury. In seven World Cup matches played last year, he claimed 24 wickets.
“The next two tournaments and series are important, so I want to be as healthy as I can. At a sports ministry banquet yesterday night, he told PTI, “I will concentrate on fitness.
The elder sister of chess prodigy R. Praggnanandhaa, R. Vaishali, the recently crowned Grandmaster, was also showered with praise.
Vaishali was recognized to become the nation’s third female general manager, following Koneru Humpy and Dronavalli Harika.
Esha Singh, 19, a pistol shooting sensation, was one of the noticeable absences because she was competing in Jakarta for the Asian Olympic Qualifiers.
Other prominent athletes selected for the Arjuna award this year included para-archer Sheetal Devi, boxer Mohammad Hussamuddin (who took home a bronze in last year’s world championship), and wrestler Antim Panghal (a past junior world champion and senior event bronze medalist).
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Devi is the first international paraarcher without upper limbs because of a rare illness called phocomelia. Devi earned two gold medals at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Praggnanandhaa’s chess tutor, RB Ramesh, is one of this year’s outstanding Dronacharya awards.
The Arjuna and Dronacharya awards include a financial prize of Rs 15 lakh, but the Khel Ratna has a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh.
