The Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna in sports and games is the highest sports honor in India. This award is given annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The recipients are awarded for their " spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports over a period of four years" at the international level.
Instituted in 1991-92, the award was given based on performance in a year by the sportsperson. Later in February 2015, the criteria was revised to performance over four years. The first recipient of the award was Chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, who was honoured for performance in the year 1991-92. In this article, we will be listing the cricket players who have received this award.
1. Sachin Tendulkar
The great man, Sachin Tendulkar was the first cricketer ever to win the Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna award among the 45 sportsmen who have won the award so far. Sachin received the award in 1998 for his services to Indian cricket in the previous 10 years (1989-1998) after having started his career in 1989.
Sachin made his debut in international cricket at the age of 16 and he finished with 100 centuries in international cricket while retiring. It was a massive feat and he holds most of the records in the game with almost 34000 runs in international cricket in around 660 games. He deserves the award and is popularly called the little master.
2. Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Another legendary batsman who retired from international cricket last year, MS Dhoni received the Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna award in 2007. It took just three years for him after making his international debut in 2004 and such was his impact on the team since his debut.
Dhoni averaged more than 50 in the ODI format and he was one of the greatest finishers in the game with an excellent success percentage. He captained India to a 50 over World Cup win in 2011 and the 20 over World Cup win in 2007.
3. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is India's greatest match winner until now and it is not a surprise that he won the Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna award in 2018. But it almost took him ten years after making his debut in 2008 to win the prestigious award and it was always on the cards.
The Indian skipper Virat Kohli is one of the best batsmen in the modern era and his efforts for the nation have been staggering. He has been so consistent for the Indian side with almost an average of more than 50 in all the formats and he is tipped to be the master of chases.
4. Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma received the Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna award in 2020 for his exploits in international cricket for India and he has taken India to greater heights alongside Virat Kohli. The elegant right hander is one of the best timers of the cricket ball.
Rohit Sharma broke a lot of records in the 2019 World Cup with a lot of centuries and it was evident that he should get the award sooner or later. Rohit holds the record for the highest individual score in ODI cricket with an unbeaten 264 against Sri Lanka and he is a big name in India cricket at the moment having started his career in 2007.
