Names of Indian skipper Virat Kohli and weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu have been recommended for the prestigious Khel Ratna award, sources in the Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award committee have confirmed.
If Kohli bags the honour, he will become the third cricketer to do so after Sachin Tendulkar (1997) and former Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (2007).
The right-hand batsman displayed rich vein of form during the recently-concluded five-match Test series against England. He scored a total of 593 runs in the series with an impressive average of 118.6.
Chanu, on the other hand, would join the likes of Karnam Malleswari and Nameirakpam Kunjarani who had received the award in 1995 and 1996, respectively.
The weightlifter had clinched a gold medal in 48 kg category at the 21st Commonwealth Games 2018 at Gold Coast, Queensland in Australia.