Which Indian cricketer was nominated by the Sports Ministry in 2017 for the prestigious civilian honour Padma Bhushan in recognition of outstanding service to Indian cricket?

Introduction / Context:
This question focuses on civilian honours in India and how they recognise contributions in the field of sports. It asks about the sportsperson whose name was put forward by the Sports Ministry in 2017 for the Padma Bhushan, which is one of the highest civilian awards of the country. Such questions test awareness of recent honours related to famous athletes, especially iconic players who have captained national teams and achieved major victories.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The year of nomination is clearly given as 2017.
- The award mentioned is the Padma Bhushan, a high level civilian honour.
- The nominating body is the Sports Ministry of India.
- Options include four very well known contemporary sportspersons from cricket and badminton.
- We assume that the exam refers to widely reported news about the official recommendation made in that year.

Concept / Approach:
The key concept is that of government nominations for civilian awards in the sports category. In 2017, the Sports Ministry recommended the former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the Padma Bhushan. Dhoni led India to multiple major tournament victories and was already a recipient of the Padma Shri. The approach is to link the year, the specific award and the iconic player whose nomination drew considerable media attention.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that the Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in India, given for distinguished service. Step 2: Remember that in 2017 sports news widely reported that Mahendra Singh Dhoni was recommended by the Sports Ministry for the Padma Bhushan. Step 3: Examine the options and note that M S Dhoni appears as option A, while the others are important athletes but did not match this specific 2017 nomination. Step 4: Confirm that P V Sindhu, Hardik Pandya and Virender Sehwag had different award timelines and were not the main Sports Ministry Padma Bhushan nominee that year. Step 5: Conclude that M S Dhoni is the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
News archives and sports reports for 2017 clearly show that the Indian cricket board supported and the Sports Ministry recommended M S Dhoni for the Padma Bhushan, recognising his long and successful captaincy, World Cup wins and overall contribution to Indian cricket. This nomination was widely covered in national newspapers and television channels, which provides an independent verification of the fact tested in the question.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
P V Sindhu is a leading badminton player who has received high civilian honours, but the question refers to the specific 2017 nomination by the Sports Ministry for the Padma Bhushan, which was focused on M S Dhoni.
Hardik Pandya is a talented all rounder in cricket but was relatively early in his career around 2017 and was not the nominee for this high civilian award at that time.
Virender Sehwag is a legendary opening batsman, yet his name was not the main Sports Ministry recommendation for Padma Bhushan in 2017 as described in this question.

Common Pitfalls:
Students may confuse Padma awards received in different years or mix up nominations with actual conferment. Another common error is to guess a more recent star like P V Sindhu without paying attention to the exact year and ministry reference. It is important to focus on the words nominated by the Sports Ministry for 2017 and recall the news about Dhoni to avoid these mistakes.

Final Answer:
The Sports Ministry nominated M S Dhoni for the Padma Bhushan in 2017.