Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan , who was conferred with Arjuna Award on Saturday , has said he will continue to work hard to make India proud. He also thanked everyone for being with him throughout his journey, including his coaches, medical staff, support staff, the BCCI, his teammates, family and friends. Notably, Dhawan was conferred with the Arjuna Award by the President Of India, Ram Nath Kovind, in recognition of his outstanding achievements in cricket.
“Arjuna award receive karna mere liye bohot sammaan ki baat hai. Mai unn sabhi logon ka dhanyawad karna chahta hu jo iss safar mein mere saath khade rahe mere coaches, doctors, support staff, BCCI, teammates, sabhi fans, mere doston aur mera parivar”. Dhawan tweeted after being presented with the award.
Dhawan has represented India in 145 ODIs and scored 6,105 runs at an average of 45.55 with 17 hundreds and 33 fifties. Dhawan holds the record for being the fastest Indian to reach 2000 and 3000 runs in ODI cricket. The Delhi batsman is also the second-fastest Indian to reach 4,000 and 5,000 runs in the 50-over format.
The 35-year-old has a knack for scoring big in the ICC tournaments. In the 2013 Champions Trophy, he amassed 363 runs in five games with a stunning average of 90.75, including two back-to-back hundreds against South Africa and West Indies.
The specially organised award function was held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. National Sports Awards are given every year to recognise and reward excellence in sports.
