Sports legends R Ashwin and PR Sreejesh were honoured with Padma awards by President Droupadi Murmu on Monday. While Ashwin received Padma Shri award, Sreejesh was recognized with Padma Bhushan.
The two sporting greats were given the awards at the Rashtrapati Bhavan’s majestic Durbar Hall. The ceremony was attended by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Ashwin, a former cricketer, represented India in 116 ODIs, 106 Tests and 65 T20Is. The 38-year-old Chennai born, retired from international cricket last year. His 537 wickets in Tests, the second most by an Indian, and eighth most in the format, remains his most accomplished feat in the sport. Ashwin was also the part of India’s 2011 World Cup winning squad. Ashwin is considered to have a sharp brain. His understanding of the sport and commentary on the sport has helped him gain over a million subscribers for his YouTube channel.
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Like Ashwin, Sreejesh too retired from international sport last year. He played hockey and was a goalkeeper. At one stage of his career he captained the Indian national hockey team. He was part of the Indian hockey team that won back-to-back bronze medals at the 2020 Tokyo and the 2024 Paris Olympics. For his superb work as a goalkeeper Sreejesh earned the moniker “Wall”.
The two were congratulated by the respective sporting bodies. The videos of the two players receiving awards from Hon’ble President of India were shared by the BCCI and Hockey India via their social media handles.
Altogether 139 distinguished persons were named for the country’s civilian awards — Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The announcement of the awards came earlier this year on January 25, on the eve of India’s 75th Republic Day.
Prakhar Sachdeo
The Sportz Planet
