The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) hosts the Naman Award at the start of each year. This year’s ceremony took place in Mumbai on February 1, a Saturday. During the event, Sachin Tendulkar, widely regarded as the God of cricket, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Nearly all Indian cricketers attended the ceremony, with one notable exception: Virat Kohli. It is worth exploring the reason behind his absence.
Most players, including Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma and T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav, were present at the BCCI Naman Award ceremony. However, Virat Kohli’s absence came as a surprise to many. It is worth noting that Virat Kohli was not scheduled to receive an award this time around.
At the time of the ceremony, Virat Kohli was playing in the last match of the Ranji Trophy league stage against the railways at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The match concluded on February 1. Although his team was winning and he could have potentially left the match early, Virat Kohli chose not to do so. Instead, he decided to see the match through to its conclusion and remain with his team in Delhi. This commitment to his team is the primary reason Virat Kohli was unable to attend the BCCI’s Naman Award ceremony.
It is also worth mentioning that the fifth T20 match between India and England was scheduled to take place in Mumbai. As a result, members of the T20 team were already in the city, making it convenient for them to participate in the award ceremony. Key players, including captain Suryakumar Yadav, star all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Akshar Patel, were in attendance.
During the ceremony, Sachin Tendulkar received the Colonel C.K. Naidu Lifetime Achievement Award, while fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah was awarded the Polly Umrigar Award for Best International Cricketer. Smriti Mandhana received the award for best female player of the year.