MS Dhoni recently stepped out from the limited over the captaincy and guiding Virat Kohli in leading the team. While many fans are still coping up with the fact that MSD is not our captain anymore, there is some good news on the way. MS Dhoni adds one more jewel to his cricket crown.

Former captain of the Indian Cricket team, MS Dhoni will be awarded ‘Padma Bhushan’, India’s third largest civilian honor at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Republic Day.  Apart from Dhoni, Olympic Silver Medalist PV Sindhu and Badminton coach Pullela Gopichand have also been cleared by the government for the prestigious award.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rio Olympics silver medallist, PV Sindhu, along with chief national badminton coach, Pullela Gopichand have been cleared by the government for the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honor.

Dhoni was previously awarded the Padma Shri in 2009 for his achievements in cricket. In 2007, he was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award by the Sports Ministry. Dhoni’s name for the award was recommended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

In November, Sindhu won the China Open, her first Super Series title. She qualified for the year-ending World Masters Final in Dubai in December. Dhoni will receive this award along with Rio Olympics silver medallist, PV Sindhu and chief national badminton coach, Pullela Gopichand.

Also Watch: MS Dhoni Signals For Review Before Captain Virat Kohli

Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and Rio Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik are among those in the list for receiving the Padma awards on this Republic Day. Others include gymnast Dipa Karmakar, disc thrower Vikas Gowda, Indian hockey captain PR Sreejesh, and Paralympic gold medallist Thangavelu Mariyappan.

Virat Kohli has been captain of the Indian Test team since 2014. He became the official captain for all the three formats after MS Dhoni stepped out from limited over the captaincy.

Sakshi Malik won India’s first medal in the Rio Olympics 2016. She is the first Indian female wrestler and the fourth female Indian athlete overall to win an Olympic medal.

PR Sreejesh is recognized as one of the best hockey goalkeepers in the world. He has won the 2016 Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy and has been nominated once for the Best Male Goalkeeper.

Dipa Karmakar may have missed out on a medal at the Rio Olympics but was lauded for her effort. She was India’s first representative in the Olympics gymnastics competition in more than 52 years and finished fourth.

Vikas Gowda Disc thrower has represented India four times in the Olympics and is recognized as one India’s best exports in the sport.

Mariyappan Thangavelu is an Indian Paralympic high jumper. He represented India in the 2016 Summer Paralympic games held in Rio de Janeiro in the men’s high jump T-42 category, winning the gold medal in the finals.

The awards will be conferred on the eve of the 68th Republic day on January 26 this year.