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Harmanpreet Kaur and Rohit Sharma were among several sports persons nominated for the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honour. The central government announced a list of 131 awards on Sunday which included the two World Cup winning captains.
Harmanpreet made history last year when she led India to their first world title in women’s cricket history. The 36-year-old was playing her fifth ODI World Cup and helped the team overcome a run of three successive defeats to beat Australia in the semi-final and South Africa in the final.
“My dad got a call from President House. This year I’m going to get the Padma Shri Award,” Harmanpreet said in a Mumbai Indians video. “I think it’s a very big moment for me. And I’m happy that, you know, before me my parents got to know,”
“Many many congratulations to [Rohit] also,” Harmanpreet said. “We have seen how, you know, he has been really working hard and I think it’s a great moment for him.”
Harmanpreet began her international career in March 2009 and attained worldwide acclaim in 2017 when she played one of the great innings in a World Cup game against Australia. She was given the Arjuna Award that year.
“The moment I started playing cricket, I’ve been dreaming about winning the World Cup and Arjuna Award and then Padma Shri Award, this is a very big achievement for me.”
A total of 113 people across various fields including sports, arts, literature and public service were named for the Padma Shri this year. Tennis legend Vijay Amritraj was the only sportsperson to receive the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honour.
