August 05, 2008	Tuesday	Sha'aban 2, 1429

NEW DELHI, Aug 4: India’s one-day and Twenty20 captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been awarded the country’s top sporting honour, cricket board officials said on Monday.

Dhoni, 27, has been named winner of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award for 2007 after he led a young Indian side to triumph in the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa last year.

The wicket-keeper/batsman also captained the team to a memorable tri-series victory in Australia earlier this year.

He recently led India to the final of the Asia Cup in Karachi.

“Dhoni has been declared the recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, the country’s most prestigious sports award,” the board said in a statement.

Cricket board president Sharad Pawar said Dhoni was a deserving winner.

“He has represented the country with distinction, and deserves the honour,” Pawar said in the statement. “His exemplary leadership and demeanour under pressure, especially in the World Twenty20 Championship [in South Africa] and the tri-series in Australia, mark him out as the ideal role model for millions of young Indians who want to make a mark in life.”

Dhoni is the second cricketer after batting genius Sachin Tendulkar to win the award. Tendulkar bagged the honour in 1998.

Dhoni however is likely to miss out on the awards ceremony, slated for Aug 29, as he is expected to be playing in a one-day series in Sri Lanka after opting out of the ongoing three-Test series citing fatigue.—AFP