Three awardees, connected with each other, will embellish the evening at Rashtrapati Bhawan on Tuesday. Tarak Sinha, Rajkumar Sharma and Virat Kohli, with their presence at the Ashoka Hall, will celebrate the occasion marking honour for three generation of cricketers.
Tarak Sinha, honoured with the Dronacharya Award this year, had coached Rajkumar, who was decorated with the Award in 2016. Rajkumar will now watch with pride his student, Virat Kohli, receiving the Khel Ratna, the highest individual honour for sporting excellence.
Ramakant Achrekar and Sachin Tendulkar form the only other Dronacharya-Khel Ratna winning combination in cricket. Kohli, having missed wining the Award twice, chose to accept the decision with dignity. This year, Kohli was picked for his fabulous consistency over the last few years, emerging the world’s best batsman in two formats — Tests and Limited Overs. He shares the Award with weightlifter Mirabai Chanu.
“It's a great honour to receive the highest national award for sport in our country. I can only say I feel very grateful and thank the almighty,” Kohli told The Hindu on the eve of the Awards function.
Champions are carved by their mentors. In Rajkumar’s case, it was Sinha who spotted him in a tournament in Uttar Pradesh while Kohli chased Rajkumar for attention and eventually rose to become an international icon for the game.
“There can’t be a greater day in my life,” remarked Rajkumar. “My guru and student will be honoured on the same stage. It will be a rare privilege for me. When I started, I never thought my cricket journey would be so eventful. All this was possible because of Tarak Sir’s guidance, which, in turn, I passed on to Virat.”
Sinha’s earned his title of Ustadji (master) from his students but the Dronacharya comes as a deserving recognition for endless hours spent on the field in honing raw talent and polishing them into achievers.
Achrekar’s stable at Shivaji Park produced a gem like Tendulkar, apart from Pravin Amre, Vinod Kambli and Ajit Agarkar. “For a coach, there is nothing like recognition which comes from his wards excelling in sport and life. I am blessed,” was Sinha’s reaction.
The Khel Ratna would stand high in Kohli’s ever-growing sporting collection even as Sinha and Rajkumar will celebrate the moment in silent admiration for each other at the majestic Ashoka Hall.
