It was a Super Sunday for two of Hyderabad’s best sportspersons – Indian women’s cricket captain Mithali Raj and one of the world’s best badminton talents Pusarla Venkata Sindhu – when they were named among the list of Padma Shri awardees by the Government of India on Sunday evening.

“This is a huge surprise, and being clubbed with someone like Virat Kohli makes the announcement all the more special,” said a smiling Mithali, who is arguably the finest women’s cricketer from India.

The 32-year-old star performer pointed out that she was not really thinking about it since women’s cricket was not all that popular in India.

Nineteen-year-old Sindhu was also equally elated.

“This is a great day for my entire family, especially for my parents (Arjuna awardee P.V. Ramana and P. Vijaya – both former international volleyball players). I was not expecting this

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by V.V. Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – January 26th, 2015