Mithali Raj and Ravichandran Ashwin recommended for Khel Ratna by BCCI

It remains to be seen if Mithali Raj is chosen by the Sports Ministry-appointed panel in an Olympic year. She completed 22 years in international cricket last week. The 38 year-old is also the leading run getter in ODIs with more than 7000 runs.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to recommend women’s cricket great Mithali Raj and off-spinner R Ashwin for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, country’s highest sporting honour. For Arjuna Award, the Board will send the names of opener Shikhar Dhawan, who was ignored last year, KL Rahul and paceman Jasprit Bumrah. “No women cricketer has been nominated for Arjuna. Mithali’s name has been recommended for Khel Ratna,” a BCCI official told news agency PTI on Wednesday (June 30). It remains to be seen if Mithali is chosen by the Sports Ministry-appointed panel in an Olympic year. She completed 22 years in international cricket last week. The 38 year-old is also the leading run getter in ODIs with more than 7000 runs. Ashwin, who is already an Arjuna awardee like Mithali, has also been a consistent performer for India in Test cricket. He has taken 413 wickets in 79 Tests besides 150 and 42 scalps in ODIs and T20s though he doesn't play for India in the shorter formats. Dhawan, who will be captaining India in the upcoming limited overs series in Sri Lanka, is a frontrunner for Arjuna.