5 Indian athletes who deserve the Bharat Ratna

16th November 2013. India registered a comfortable win against the West Indies in the second and final test match of the series. There were mixed emotions on the faces of Indian cricket fans post the match. It was Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar's 200th and final test match of his illustrious career.After an emotional speech at the Wankhede Stadium, little did the batting maestro know that he will be conferred with India's highest civilian honor Bharat Ratna. The government of India conferred the award to Tendulkar on February 4, 2014 in a glittering ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.Tendulkar became the first sportsperson to be bestowed with this honor. While there were many who applauded the government's gesture, others questioned them on not awarding the Bharat Ratna to Dhyan Chand who deserved it before Tendulkar.With that in mind, let us look at Indians who deserve the coveted award:

#5 Pankaj Advani

He got interested in snooker at the age of 10 when he accompanied his brother Shree to a snooker parlour near his home every day. He has not looked back since and has gone on to create new records in the sport.

Known for his versatile play, Advani is a 12-time World Champion in cue sports. The 29-year old is the only person to have claimed both billiards and snooker World championships in all formats.

The Bangalorean has won two Asian Games gold medals and is a 5-time Asian Games champion.