India pacer Mohammad Shami is reportedly in the running for the prestigious Arjuna Awards for this year after the BCCI recommended his name.

According to sources, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made a special request to the Sports Ministry as earlier, Shami's name was not present on the list. Arjuna Award is the second-highest sporting honor.

Shami had an excellent outing for India in the recent ICC World Cup 2023. Despite being benched the first four games of the tournament, Shami gave a roaring performance when he was included in the XI after Hardik Pandya got injured.

WATCH: Fans gather outside Mohammad Shami's house to catch a glimpse of India’s 2023 World Cup hero

He finished with 24 wickets in the ICC World Cup with a best bowling performance of 7/57. This also gave Mohammad Shami the record for the best bowling performance by an Indian in ODIs and World Cup tournaments.

Another highlight performance from Shami was his 5/18 against Sri Lanka, which helped India rout the Islanders for 55 runs while chasing a target of 358 runs in Mumbai. Shami has 55 wickets in ICC Cricket World Cups.

Only four players in the history of the men's game - Lasith Malinga (56), Mitchell Starc (65), Muttiah Muralitharan (68), and Glenn McGrath (71), have taken more wickets in the Cricket World Cup than the Indian pacer.

(ANI inputs)