Top 5 Indian cricketers to receive the prestigious Arjuna Award

The Arjuna Award, India's second-highest sporting honor, is not just a recognition but also a celebration of a sportsperson's leadership qualities, sportsmanship, and a sense of discipline. This accolade takes into account the player's performance over the preceding four years and emphasizes their contributions to the world of sport. 

The award ceremony, typically held on National Sports Day on August 29, is a grand affair. The winners not only recieve a bronze statue of Arjuna but also a certificate, ceremonial dress, and a cash prize of INR 15 lakh. This ceremony and the accolade are a culmination of years of hard work and dedication.

Till now 58 cricketers have been honored with the Arjuna Award, a group that includes 12 women. Legends like Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, and Virat Kohli have all received this prestigious recognition and Mohammed Shami is the recently inclusion in this list for his World Cup heroics where was the highest wicket-taker in the tournament. 

The 33-year-old right-arm pacer from Uttar Pradesh mainly dominated ODI cricket with 43 wickets in just 19 innings and also provided consistently impressive performances in red-ball cricket. Shami played a crucial role in India's becoming no.1 ICC team across all three formats this year. Let's have a look at the top 5 cricketing legends of India who have received this prestigious award:

1)        Salim Durrani

Salim Durani was the first Indian cricketer to be bestowed with the Arjuna Award. He received this honor in 1961. Renowned for his skills as a slow left-arm orthodox bowler and distinguished for his powerful batting abilities, Salim Durani was originally born in Afghanistan and made a significant impact during his career. 

Having played 29 Tests for India, he accumulated a total of 1202 runs and claimed 75 wickets. Durani attained a cult-like status, particularly after his remarkable performances against England in 1961–62, during which he secured eight and 10 wickets in Kolkata and Chennai, respectively.

2)        Shantha Rangaswamy

Shantha Rangaswamy was the first among female cricketers to be honoured with the Arjuna Award in 1976. Her cricketing journey spanned from 1976 to 1991, during which she actively participated in 16 Tests and 19 ODIs for India. 

Notably, Rangaswamy holds the distinction of being the first female cricketer to be honoured with a lifetime achievement award by the BCCI. Her leadership was instrumental in a historic achievement for the Indian women's cricket team in 1976 when, under her captaincy, they secured their inaugural Test victory against the West Indies.

3)        Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar is one name in Indian sporting history that everyone knows and he also received the Arjuna Award in the starting phase of his career back in 1994. Tendulkar is the highest run-scorer in international cricket, accumulating over 34,000 runs across Test matches and One Day Internationals (ODIs) combined. He holds the record for the most centuries in international cricket, with 100 international centuries, including 51 in Tests and 49 in ODIs.

4)        Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is the modern great of Indian cricket and is one of the current cricketers who was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2013. Although Virat is still playing cricket for India at the time he received the award he was the fastest Indian who score 1000 runs in ODI cricket. 

In the 2011 World Cup, he scored a century on his World Cup debut with a total run of 282 in 9 innings. Kohli was the recipient of many awards such as the ICC ODI Player of the Year in 2012 by the time he received the accolade.

5)        Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami is the recent inductee in the list of cricketers receiving the Arjuna Award. 2023 after his World Cup performance. The experienced bowler was a leading wicket-taker in the recently concluded ICC ODI World Cup 2023 with 24 wickets in just seven innings and is the only cricketer among 26 athletes to receive an award in 2023. The 33-year-old right-arm pacer from Uttar Pradesh has consistently impressed with his performances in red-ball cricket. Shami also played a crucial role in India's becoming no.1 ICC team across all three formats this year.