Team India Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the second Indian cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar to bag the prestigious Khel Ratna award. The Khel Ratna award is India’s highest sporting honor.

Dhoni though could not attend the ceremony since he was trying to save a losing match against Sri Lanka in the fifth and final ODI of the series. India has already won the series and Dhoni has contributed a lot to the win.

Dhoni’s dad Paan Singh received the award on his behalf. It was a glittering award function and the hall reverberated cheerfully with applause as the President of India, Pratibha Patil presented a scroll of honour, a medal and Rupees 5 lakh for Dhoni’s outstanding performance in sports.

Dhoni has moved mountains during his short stint in international cricket. He exploded onto the scene three years ago when he hit a blitzkrieg 180 against Sri Lanka. The very next match he displayed awesome patience and maturity when he hit a fifty and guided a tottering India to another win.

Those two innings helped him climb to the top of the ICC cricket rankings. And he hasn’t budged from that spot.

Dhoni’s popularity continues to rise everyday. From a truckload of endorsements to a country full to bursting with fans, Dhoni is the Big Mac of India.

Source: India.com