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Harbhajan Singh hasn’t performed any match for India since March 2016.© AFP
Veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh on Saturday clarified that the Punjab authorities withdrew his nomination for this yr’s Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award as he would not match within the eligibility standards for the nation’s highest sporting honour. Amid hypothesis over the withdrawal of his nomination, Harbhajan sought to clear the air. “I’ve been flooded with calls as to why Punjab Govt withdrew my title from Khel Ratna nominations. The reality is I’m not eligible for Khel Ratna which primarily considers the worldwide performances in final three years,” the 40-year-old cricketer tweeted.
“The Punjab Govt is not at fault here as they have rightly withdrawn my name. Would urge my friends in media not to speculate.”
Punjab Sports Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi stated that his division withdrew the nomination solely after receiving an electronic mail from Harbhajan, stating that he did not meet the eligibility standards for the award.
“We had strongly recommended his nomination. But before it could go to the screening committee or scrutiny committee, he (Harbhajan) advised us to withdraw his application,” Sodhi instructed PTI.
“I think he must have seen the latest criteria which the government of India has for the Khel Ratna award and may be something which he noticed that it cannot happen or maybe he is thinking over applying for some other award. Whenever he asks us, we will recommend him because he is a top sportsman and a very fine gentleman. Punjab sports department has no issues,” stated Sodhi.
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The cricketer had requested the Punjab sports activities minister to intervene on the time.
Harbhajan, who has 417 Test and 269 ODI wickets respectively, is an Arjuna Awardee and was additionally conferred with the Padma Shri. He final represented India in Test and ODIs in 2015.
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