Who among the following received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for the year 2018?

Introduction / Context:
The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, which was later renamed but is historically known by this title, is the highest sporting honour in India. For the year 2018, the award was shared between two outstanding Indian sportspersons from different disciplines. This question asks you to identify that correct pair from the options given.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The award is the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna for the year 2018. - The options include individual names and pairs of prominent athletes. - In that year, the award was conferred jointly, not to a single person. - We assume the official National Sports Awards list as reference. - Only one option correctly reflects both names together as they appear in that list.

Concept / Approach:
In the 2018 National Sports Awards, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna was jointly awarded to Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu. The approach to solving this question is to recall that it was a shared award and to identify the option that mentions both of them together. Any option that names only Virat Kohli or that pairs him with a wrong second name must be rejected.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recognise that Virat Kohli, as India's cricket captain, and S. Mirabai Chanu, as a world champion weightlifter, were the headline names associated with the 2018 Khel Ratna. Step 2: Option A lists only Virat Kohli, which is incomplete because the award that year was shared. Step 3: Option B lists both S. Mirabai Chanu and Virat Kohli together, matching the official announcement. Step 4: Neeraj Chopra and Hima Das are celebrated athletes but are associated with other honours and did not receive the Khel Ratna in 2018. Step 5: P. V. Sindhu and Sakshi Malik are earlier Olympic medal winners linked with Khel Ratna in a previous period, not with this specific year. Step 6: Therefore, S. Mirabai Chanu and Virat Kohli is the correct pair.

Verification / Alternative check:
A good cross check is to remember that exam guides often present a small table showing joint Khel Ratna awards. In that table, 2018 is clearly associated with Virat Kohli and S. Mirabai Chanu. Other tables show that Neeraj Chopra or Hima Das received Arjuna Awards or later honours. Since only option B reproduces the exact pair from 2018, this confirms it as the correct answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A (Virat Kohli) is wrong because it omits S. Mirabai Chanu and thus does not reflect the joint nature of the award in 2018. Option C (Neeraj Chopra) is wrong because he did not receive the Khel Ratna in that year. Option D (Hima Das and Neeraj Chopra) is wrong because neither athlete was listed as a Khel Ratna recipient for 2018, even though they were recognised with other awards. Option E (P. V. Sindhu and Sakshi Malik) is wrong because their Khel Ratna recognition belongs to an earlier period connected to the Rio Olympics, not to the 2018 award year mentioned here.

Common Pitfalls:
Students may remember that Virat Kohli received the Khel Ratna but forget that he shared it with S. Mirabai Chanu, leading them to choose only his name. Another common mistake is to assume that other track and field stars such as Neeraj Chopra or Hima Das must have already received the Khel Ratna in that year. To avoid such errors, one should revise joint award years carefully and notice which combinations of names appear together in official lists.

Final Answer:
For the year 2018, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award was jointly given to S. Mirabai Chanu and Virat Kohli.