When para athlete Devendra Jhajharia (javelin throw) and hockey player Sardar Singh were recommended for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna on Thursday, a section of sports fans in India were disappointed to not see Indian cricket team’s captain Mithali Raj’s name in the list.
Mithali Raj, who led India to their second World Cup final last month, also broke the record for the leading run-scorer in ODIs during the competition. She has captained India in most number of ODIs (109) as well.
But, what Mithali’s supporters seem to have forgotten is that the deadline for submitting the names for the Khel Ratna was on 30 April, which was before the women’s World Cup began.
Could the BCCI Push For Mithali After the World Cup?
But the deadline being before the World Cup cannot be an excuse for the BCCI as badminton player PV Sindhu, wrestler Sakshi Malik and gymnast Dipa Karmakar were recommended for the Khel Ratna after the Olympics last year, which was post the deadline for nominations.
However, Sindhu and Sakshi had won Olympic medals and Karmakar finishing fourth at the Olympics, is one of the most inspiring stories of Indian sport.
Mithali finished as the second highest scorer (409 runs) in the World Cup, but played only two match-winning knocks in the tournament. She scored 71 off 73 balls against England and 109 runs off 123 balls against New Zealand.
Had the batter played match-winning knocks in the final, then maybe, the BCCI would have had a reason to push for her name.
However, Mithali recorded scores of 36 and 17 in the semi-final and final respectively.
Positivity From Jhajharia’s Story
Devendra Jhajharia is certainly an athlete who should be given the Khel Ratna, because he is the first Indian to win two Paralympic gold medals. And he won both his medals with world record throws. The javelin thrower won his second gold in September last year.
The Khel Ratna is awarded to an athlete for his achievements in a period of four years. If Jhajharia has been recommended for Khel Ratna this year, then Mithali may be given the Khel Ratna next year.
Question on Sardar Singh
Sardar Singh’s achievements – two Asian Games medals (bronze in 2010 and gold in 2014) and being part of the International Hockey Federation's All-Star team in 2010 and 2011 – may not be big enough to bag a Khel Ratna for some people, but that doesn’t mean Mithali Raj deserves the award instead of the former India hockey captain.
Hockey India as a sporting board nominated a player from their sport who they thought deserved to receive a Khel Ratna. Mithali Raj had to be nominated from the BCCI for the process to go forward.
Therefore, Sardar and Mithali’s chances of receiving a Khel Ratna is incomparable.
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