India's one-day and Twenty20 captain MS Dhoni was on Monday selected for the country's highest sporting honour.

Dhoni was selected for the Rajiv Ganddhi Khel Ratna award for the year 2007 by an expert committee chaired by former Olympian Milkha Singh for leading India to World Twenty20 triumph in South Africa last September.

He becomes only the second cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar to get the honour. The Master Blaster was awarded the Khel Ratna in 1997-98.

BCCI president Sharad Pawar said Dhoni was a deserving winner.

"He has represented the country with distinction, and deserves the honour," Pawar said in the statement.

"His exemplary leadership and demeanour under pressure, especially in the ICC World Twenty20 and the tri-series in Australia, mark him out as the ideal role model for millions of young Indians who want to make a mark in life," he added.

The award will be presented by President Pratibha Patil in the Ashoka Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhawan on August 29, which is the birth anniversary of Hockey wizard Dhyan Chand and is celebrated as national sports day.

The BCCI's Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty hailed the decision, especially after the award came to a cricketer after a considerable wait.

"On two occasions we felt let down, when Rahul Dravid didn't get Khel Ratna and Yuvraj (Singh) was denied the Arjuna," he told a television news channel.

"Dravid was in good form, we had won 16 ODIs on the trot and the team was on a high, still he did not get the award.

"Yuvraj too was unlucky not to get Arjuna after two years of consistent performance. We are happy Dhoni got it," he added.

Shetty said he was impressed most by Dhoni's conduct.

"What I like most about 'Mahi', apart from his cricket, is the way he leads. He is a cool customer and never gets agitated. I'm also impressed by his clarity of thought. He speaks his mind even if it may not be seen in the right sense," he added.

Apart from leading India to the Twenty20 triumph, Dhoni also captained the team to a memorable tri-series victory in Australia earlier this year.

Dhoni, however, is likely to miss out on the awards ceremony as he is expected to be playing in a one-day series in Sri Lanka after opting out of the ongoing three-Test series.