Dhoni conferred with Castrol Cricketer of 2011

Bangalore: Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was conferred with the Castrol Cricketer of 2011 for his outstanding contribution to the game and winning the 50-over World Cup last year.

The Indian cricketers in the running for the cricketer of the year included the likes of Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Suresh Raina and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. The current India under-19 captain Unmukt Chand has been honoured with Castrol Junior Cricketer of the Year for 2011. Test Cricketer of the year was bagged by Rahul Dravid for scoring 1,145 runs in 12 Tests with five centuries against his name. The ODI cricketer of the year was won by Suresh Raina and Batsman of the year was hogged by Sachin Tendulkar. Bowler of the year was conferred on Ravichandran Ashwin for his outstanding bowling performance. Besides the above categories, the organisers who instituted two new awards this year -- the Castrol Performance Under Pressure Award and the Castrol stand out Performance Under Pressure Award were won by Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli respectively. Tendulkar and Sehwag were honoured with Special Awards for reaching hundredth ton and scoring a one-day double ton against Sri Lanka respectively. Former skipper Ajit Wadekar, under whose leadership India won the historical Test series against the West Indies in 1971, was conferred the Castrol Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the sport. Apart from his onfield genius, Wadekar has also been the coach, manager and chairman of the national selection committee. Initiated in 1997-98, the Castrol Awards for Cricketing Excellence recognizes outstanding performances by Indian cricketers -- past, present and future. PTI