Padma Awards are amongst India’s highest forms of civilian awards. The Padma Bhushan award is the 3rd highest civilian award, after Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan. After this, the Padma Shri award comes. Many notable Indian cricketers have been felicitated with the Padma awards in the past years. Let us look at Indian cricketers who have been awarded the Padma awards.
1. Lala Amarnath (1991)
He played cricket from 1933 until 1955, although his sons went on to play for other countries (Mohinder and Surinder Amarnath). His career only lasted 24 test matches because World War 2 broke out just a few matches after his debut (1939), costing him nearly 6 years of his peak physical years (till 1945). Like countless others, his family was forced to relocate as a result of the partition.
2. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (2018)
He won the honor pretty late in his professional life. Even though he had previously won the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award ten years prior. Through MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, in which Sushant Singh Rajput played his part, many people learned more about his life. Despite being retired, he still participates in the IPL and has a sizable fan base among Indian cricket fans. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is well known for his humility, and many people still think of him as their captain.
3. Rahul Dravid (2013)
One of the best test cricket batsmen India has ever seen was The Wall, as he was formerly known. He has also been given the Padma Shri honor in addition to the Padma Bhushan. He has amassed over 24000 runs in international cricket overall, with a test batting average of up to 52.31. The most notorious incident involving him occurred when, as team captain, he declared innings as Sachin Tendulkar was quite near to reaching his double century.
4. Kapil Dev (1991)
After receiving the Padma Shri honor in 1982, he went on to captain the 1983 World Cup-winning Indian cricket team. A film titled 83 is being developed about his experience winning the World Cup. Few people are aware that he has also authored four books, one of which is about Sikhi. After retiring, he started playing golf. He is a native of Chandigarh.
5. Db Deodhar (1991)
He didn't participate in any international cricket matches, but he was a skilled administrator who rose to the positions of BCCI vice president and president of the Maharashtra Cricket Association in addition to selecting players for the national squad. Few people are aware that he was the first cricketer from India to reach this milestone and that he lived for more than a century.
6. Sunil Gavaskar (1980)
In 1980, Sunil Gavaskar, the first cricketer to reach 10,000 runs in a Test match, was given the Padma Bhushan honor for his distinguished international career while playing for Team India. He established Indian cricket and helped India win numerous games.
7. Chandu Borde (2002)
In the world, Borde worked from 1958 to 1969. He twice took the helm of the selecting committee in the future. He participated in 55 test matches in total, with an average score of 35.59. Panther's Paces is the title of his memoirs. He participated in domestic cricket for the Bombay and Baroda squad.
8. Virat Kohli (2017)
Over the past year, Kohli has been in superb form, hitting runs in all formats. In 2016, he scored 1215 runs in Test cricket, making him the first person to score double hundreds in four straight series. The 28-year-old run machine has had a great season leading India, winning all four-Test series at home. He won the Padma Shri award in 2017.
9. Vinoo Mankad (1973)
Vinoo Mankad, also known as Mulvantrai Himmatlal Mankad, was one of the best all-around athletes to ever play the game. For his contributions to the Indian cricket team in 1973, he was given the third-highest civilian honor. From 1968 until 1979, he was the sole athlete to obtain this honor.
10. Gautam Gambhir (2019)
In December 2018, Gambhir ended his career in cricket in all its forms. The former opener for India played in 58 Tests, 147 ODIs, and 37 Tests on behalf of his nation. Gambhir was the team's leading scorer in both finals, which helped India win the World T20 in 2007 and the World Cup in 2011. Gautam Gambhir, a former cricketer for India, was one of the eight sports figures to receive a Padma Award from President Ram Nath Kovind.
