Verdict is out, Bangalore bags Khel Ratna Award

New Delhi, July 24 (UNI) The jury maybe divided but the verdict is out that Bangalore has bagged country's highest sports award -- Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna.

A cricketer par excellence, a tennis player of impeccable pedigree and a cue artist just out of his teens would lock horn in a three-way battle for the premium award but Bangalore has already been assured of the award with Rahul Dravid, Mahesh Bhupathi and Pankaj Advani being shortlisted for the honour.

While, Advani can stake his claim for being the true son of the soil, both Dravid and Bhupathi are adopted sons of the proud city.

Dravid was born in Indore while Bhupathi hails from Chennai before shifting base to the Silicon Valley of India.

Be it the cue, racquet or the willow -- the trio use it with elan, like an extension of their arm. And they are country's three most decorated players which makes it a stiff competition, unlike in recent past where star long jumper Anju Bobby George or marksman Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore was an automatic choice.

Dravid, a technician of the highest standard and a testimonial that good guys do finish first, will be leading Team India in next year's World Cup and his enviable list of honours include Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2000 and the 2004 ICC Player of The Year and ICC Test Player of The Year awards.

Bhupathi, along with his estranged ''Indian Express'' partner Leander Paes, has been the face of Indian tennis for quite long and has 10 doubles Grand Slam titles under his belt, something very extraordinary by Indian standard.

And Advani is no pushover either. The prince of the green baize won the 2003 IBSF World Snooker Championship title in China and bagged the IBSF World Billiards Championship in 2005 in Malta. The youngster is only the second cueist after Malta's Paul Mifsud to have won both the billiards and snooker amateur world titles.

Among the trio, Dravid plays a team sport while both Bhupathi and Advani are in individual sports and that makes things a little difficult for The wall. Sachin Tendulkar did get the coveted honour in 1997-98 but then it's always a different story with the Bombay Bomber.

Meanwhile, this would be Bhupathi's last shot at the award. In the twilight of his career and splitting time between tennis courts and Globosport, the company he owns, the doubles specialist would be eyeing to emulate Paes, who had won the honour in 1996-97.

Advani's age can go against him even though there are instances like Abhinav Bindra (2001-2) and the former would like to follow in the footsteps of Geet Sethi who won the second Khel Ratna award in 1992-3.

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