Cricketer Ajinkya Rahane, athlete Lalita Babar, and boxer Shiva Thapa, along with 12 other sportspersons will be conferred with the Arjuna Award, a government press release declared . Para-athlete Sandeep Singh Mann and deaf wrestler Virender Singh will also be awarded the sporting honour, which constitutes a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh, a medal, and a citation.
- Ajinkya Rahane will become the 49th Indian cricketer to be conferred with the prestigious Arjuna award. The award is presented by the Indian government for excellence in sports for a period of four years.
- Rahane is the fourth-highest run-getter for India in the last four years in Tests, behind Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay. He has scored 1862 runs in 26 Tests at an average of 49 with seven centuries to his name.
About Arjuna Award:
The Arjuna Awards are given by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in National sports. Instituted in 1961, the award carries a cash prize of Rs 500,000, a bronze statue of Arjuna and a scroll.
From the year 2001, the award is given only in disciplines falling under the following categories:
- Olympic Games / Asian Games / Commonwealth Games / World Cup / World Championship Disciplines and Cricket
- Indigenous Games
- Sports for the Physically Challenged
In mid-August 2011, 19 athletes were announced as Arjuna recipients; the high number due to the inclusion of both the 2010 Commonwealth Games and 2010 Asian Games in the Arjuna qualifying year.
In 2012, 25 sportspersons were conferred with the Arjuna awards.
