Rohit Sharma received a nomination for his excellent performance in 2019, scoring 556 runs in Tests with an average of 92.66 and 1657 runs in ODIs at an average of 57.30.

As per BCCI President Sourav Ganguly, "Rohit Sharma has set new benchmarks as a batsman and achieved scores people thought were not possible in the shorter formats of the game. We feel he is worthy of getting the prestigious Khel Ratna award for his commitment, conduct, consistency and his leadership skills"

He also earned the title of ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year for 2019 for his prolific five centuries in World Cup 2019. If Rohit Sharma wins the award, he will become the fourth cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli to do so.

The board has chosen Indian fast bowler, Ishant Sharma, opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan, and Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma for the Arjuna Award 2020.