'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Indian star opener Rohit Sharma, through a recent video on his Instagram account, thanked all his well-wishers for their love and support upon him receiving the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.
Rohit Sharma received the award for his excellent performances on the cricket field throughout his career so far and became only the fourth cricketer to receive this sporting award after Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli.
The talented opener thanked the fans for all their support since the start of his career, and claimed that it was indeed a 'privilege' to win the award.
"Hey, guys thank you very much for your well wishes and support throughout the year. Its been a wonderful ride. To receive such a sporting honour in India is a great privilege and I am happy about it I owe this to you all, without your support this wouldn't have been possible" Rohit Sharma said.
The 33-year-old further mentioned that he will continue to strive to achieve more for the country and concluded with a 'virtual hug' for all his fans.
"So keep at it, keep supporting and yes I promise to bring many more laurels to this country. Since we are social distancing, a virtual hug from me to all of you guys," he added.
Rohit Sharma is one of the most consistent openers across the globe
Rohit Sharma's career literally took off when he was promoted to open the batting for the Indian cricket team at the 2013 Champions Trophy. In 224 ODIs, Rohit has scored a staggering 9115 runs at a brilliant average of 49.27 and 29 hundreds with a highest score of 264.
In T20Is, Rohit Sharma has been sensational for India, having scored 2773 runs from 108 matches with four centuries to his name. With 2141 runs from 32 Test matches at an average of 46.54, the right-hander has been an integral part of the Indian team since his debut and is richly deserving of the award.
After more than five months of separation from live cricket, Rohit Sharma will be gunning to get back on the field and lead four-time champions Mumbai Indians in IPL 2020, which commences on September 19 in UAE.
