No cricketer for Arjuna Award

For the first time since the inception of the Arjuna awards, some 40 years ago, no cricketer figures in the list of awardees announced by the Indian government on Friday.

The awards are given annually to outstanding performers in various sports and cricketers generally figure strongly in the list. So it did come as a big surprise that no cricketer's name figured in the list of 24 sportsmen for 1999-2000 announced by Indian Sports Minister SS Dhindsa.

The match-fixing scandal, which has shocked the cricketing world is thought to be the main reason for this decision. Many Indian players have been charged with match-fixing and having links with bookies.

At a press conference, however Dhindsa said that the government had not selected any cricketer because the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) had not nominated any player. ``There was no question of ignoring the cricketers,'' he said. Dhindsa added that 34 cricketers have so far received the Arjuna awards besides the Rajiv Ranta Khel award, Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.

All rounder Salim Durrani was the first cricketer to get the Arjuna award in 1961.

The awards will be presented by the President of India at a function at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on August 29.