From MS Dhoni to PV Sindhu: 5 Indian athletes who have been honoured with Padma Bhushan award

Indin chess grandmaster and a five-time world champion, Viswanathan Anand is one of the most decorated Indian sportsperson. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in the year 2001 before being conferred with the Padma Vibhushan in the year 2007, becoming the first sportsperson to recieve the second-highest civilian honour of the country.

Indian boxing legend Mary Kom was honoured with the Padma Bhushan in the year 2013 for her contributions towards sports. A six-time world champion, Kom is one of the greatest ever to have represented India in the ring. She was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, the country's second-highest civilian award in the year 2021.

Indian cricket legend Rahul Dravid was awarded the Padma Bhushan in the year 2013 for his exceptional services to Indian cricket. Regarded as one of the best batters of all time, Dravid played 164 Tests and 344 ODIs for India, amassing 13,288 and 10,889 runs in the two formats respectively. He is currently serving as the head coach of the Indian men's cricket team.

India's ace shuttler PV Sindhu was honoured with the Padma Bhusan by President Ram Nath Kovind last year. She had been conferred with the award in the year 2020 but the ceremony had to be delayed by an year due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Sindhu is the only Indian shuttler to have won the BWF World Championships and became the first female athlete from the country to win two individual Olympic medals after bagging a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics last year.
 

MS Dhoni was honoured with India's third-highest civilian award, Padma Bhushan in April 2018 for his remarkable services to Indian cricket. Dhoni led India to a memorable triumph at the 2011 ODI World Cup, bringing an end to the country's 28-year-long wait for the second World Cup crown. Dhoni remains the only captain in criket history to have won all three major ICC trophies.