Virat Kohli recommended for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award  

Indian skipper Virat Kohli was recommended for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna accolade on Monday. The 29-year-old presently leads the ICC Test and ODI batsmen rankings with 930 and 911 points respectively and is arguably the voice of Indian cricket at the moment.

Kohli has outclassed almost all his opponents in recent years, having amassed loads of runs across nations and formats. His skill, timing, hand-eye coordination, an appetite for runs and ability to read the game set him apart from other international cricketers.

The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in Sports and Games is the highest sporting honour of India. It is presented by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on an annual basis.

The award holder should have served his/her nation with ‘spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports over a period of four years’ to be a worthy candidate for this honour. As of 2017, the prize consists of a medallion, certificate and a cash prize of ₹7.5 lakh.

According to reports from the PTI, the run machine missed out on the selection committee’s approval in 2016. Should Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore assent to Kohli’s credentials, he will become the third cricketer to have won this decoration, after Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who won it in 1997 and 2007 respectively.

Kohli recently struck a remarkable 593 runs in the recently concluded test series against England with an average of 59.30. He was the top scorer in the series, ahead of second-placed Jos Buttler by a 244-run margin.

World Champion weightlifter Mirabai Chanu was jointly recommended for the honour alongside the Indian cricket team captain, following her gold medal in 48kg category at the World Championships last year. She also claimed the yellow metal in this year's Commonwealth Games.

According to PTI, shuttler Kidambi Srikanth’s recommendation was also discussed.