Former India cricketer Suresh Raina was felicitated with the prestigious 'Sports Icon' award at the Maldives Sports Awards 2022 by the Government of Maldives.
Raina was nominated alongside 16 international sportspersons, including former Real Madrid and Brazil footballer Roberto Carlos, Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell, former Sri Lankan cricket captain Sanath Jayasuriya and Dutch football legend Edgar Davids.
The 35-year old was presented with the award for his various achievements throughout his career.
He was presented with the award alongside Md Zahir Ahsan Russel, the Minister of Youth and Sports of Bangladesh; Al-Kadi Badr Abdul Rahman, the Vice Minister of Sports of Saudi Arabia; Ahmed Nazeer, the Honorary President of the Maldives Tennis Association.
The event was chaired by the President of Maldives, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Sports Ministers, world-renowned athletes and Maldivian athletes.
Raina was part of the Indian team which won the 2011 Cricket World Cup. He has also won the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy four times with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise.
He was the first Indian player to score 6000 as well as 8000 runs in a Twenty20 career and the first-ever cricketer to reach 5,000 runs in IPL. He also holds the record for scoring the most fifties in Champions League T20 history.
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