Rohit Sharma, who serves as India's vice-captain, has been nominated by the BCCI for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. In a heartfelt video shared on social media, the cricketer expressed his sincere thanks to the Board for the recognition, and credited his success to the support of his fans, teammates, and the team's support staff.
The nomination for the Khel Ratna is based on a player's performance between January 2016 and December 2019—a timeframe where Rohit Sharma truly dominated the game. During this era, he set new benchmarks in cricket history by scoring four centuries in the T20I format and delivering massive scores over 150 in ODIs. These achievements, including five centuries during a single World Cup, led to him being named the 2019 ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year. He also managed to overtake the legendary MS Dhoni in terms of total sixes hit.
Since taking over the opening slot in Test matches, Rohit has already notched two centuries. His journey on the world stage started in 2007; since his ODI debut, he has played 168 ODIs, 280 Tests, and 17 T20Is. Most recently, he left a lasting impression with some incredible performances in matches against New Zealand and Australia.