Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami on Tuesday received the prestigious Arjuna Award from President Droupadi Murmu for his brilliant contribution to Indian cricket. Shami, who had a stellar 2023, was awarded the honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India had recommended the pacer's name for the prestigious honour. Shami was extremely happy when he was nominated for the award. "This award is a dream, life passes and people are not able to win this award. It’s a matter of great joy and I’m feeling proud. A lot of individuals remain mere spectators as they watch others win these awards throughout their lives. It’s a dream that remains unfulfilled for many," Shami had said on Monday to ANI on being nominated for the second biggest sporting honour in the country.
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Sheetal Devi, Asian Games' stars awarded too
Notably, the Indian President Murmu honoured several other stars too. She presented the Arjuna Award to young sensation Sheetal Devi and several other Indian stars of the Asian Games. The list features India's Asian Games heroes like Aditi Gopichand Swami, Sreeshankar Murali, Parul Chaudhary, Esha Singh and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar among others.
List of sportspersons to receive Arjuna Award in 2023
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Ojas Pravin Deotale (Archery)
- Aditi Gopichand Swami (Archery)
- Sreeshankar M (Athletics)
- Parul Chaudhary (Athletics)
- Mohameed Hussamuddin (Boxing)
- R Vaishali (Chess)
- Mohammed Shami (Cricket)
- Anush Agarwalla (Equestrian)
- Divyakriti Singh (Equestrian Dressage)
- Diksha Dagar (Golf)
- Krishan Bahadur Pathak (Hockey)
- Pukhrambam Sushila Chanu (Hockey)
- Pawan Kumar (Kabaddi)
- Ritu Negi (Kabaddi)
- Nasreen (Kho-Kho)
- Pinki (Lawn Bowls)
- Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar (Shooting)
- Esha Singh (Shooting)
- Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu (Squash)
- Ayhika Mukherjee (Table Tennis)
- Sunil Kumar (Wrestling)
- Antim (Wrestling)
- Naorem Roshibina Devi (Wushu)
- Sheetal Devi (Para Archery)
- Illuri Ajay Kumar Reddy (Blind Cricket)
- Prachi Yadav (Para Canoeing)
Shami's stellar run in World Cup 2023
Mohammed Shami was one of the brightest stars in the Indian team during the ODI World Cup 2023. He wreaked havoc as oppositions found him a nightmare to deal with. The pace merchant picked up 24 wickets in just seven matches despite missing the initial four games of the tournament. He went on to break several records too and became India's all-time highest wicket-taker in the history of the tournament.
