New Delhi, Jun 30: The BCCI has decided to recommend women's cricket great Mithali Raj and premier spinner R Ashwin for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, country's highest sporting honour.

For Arjuna Award, the Board will send the names of senior batsman Shikhar Dhawan, who was ignored last year, K L Rahul and pacer Jasprit Bumrah.

"No women cricketer has been nominated for Arjuna. Mithali's name has been recommended for Khel Ratna," a BCCI official told PTI on Wednesday.

It remains to be seen if Mithali is chosen by the Sports Ministry-appointed panel in an Olympic year.

She completed 22 years in international cricket last week. The 38 year-old is also the leading run getter in ODIs with more than 7000 runs.

Ashwin, who is already an Arjuna awardee like Mithali, has also been a consistent performer for India in Test cricket. He has taken 413 wickets in 79 Tests besides 150 and 42 scalps in ODIs and T20s though he doesn't play for India in the shorter formats.

Dhawan, who will be captaining India in the upcoming limited overs series in Sri Lanka, is a frontrunner for Arjuna.

The 35-year-old southpaw has scored 5977 runs in 142 ODIs besides 2315 and 1673 Test and T20 runs respectively.

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Bahrain: Dr. Arathi Krishna, Vice President of the Non-Resident Indian (NRI) Forum, Government of Karnataka, participated as the Guest of Honour at the prestigious Global Women’s Economic Forum and Exhibition held on January 13, 2025 in Bahrain.

The international event, known for its pivotal role in empowering women entrepreneurs and professionals, provided a unique platform for showcasing business innovations and fostering leadership among women.

During the event, Dr. Krishna emphasized the significance of women’s contributions to entrepreneurship and technological advancements. She noted that the forum's dynamic workshops, panel discussions, and expert speeches offered specialized insights into innovative practices, financial management, and the adoption of new technologies. These knowledge-sharing opportunities are designed to support emerging women entrepreneurs, enabling them to thrive in a competitive global marketplace.

Highlighting the transformative power of such initiatives, Dr. Krishna remarked on the growing achievements of women entrepreneurs in traditionally male-dominated sectors. She acknowledged that the event not only celebrated success stories from across the globe but also inspired young women to pursue entrepreneurship and leadership roles. The participation of women-led businesses from diverse nations underscored the universal nature of entrepreneurial spirit and innovation.

Dr. Krishna also engaged in thoughtful discussions with successful women leaders and interacted with representatives of various Kannada associations in Bahrain. She reiterated her appeal to the global NRI Kannada community to strive for excellence and greater accomplishments in their respective fields.