Courtesy: BCCI/Star Sports
Neeraj Chopra, the multi-time Olympic and World Championship medallist in the javelin throw, was in a conversation with former Indian cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu for Star Sports recently. During their online chat, when the 61-year-old asked him about which Indian cricket player would be able to succeed in the javelin throw, he stated that it could be a fast bowler before taking the name of one of the best cricketers in the world, Jasprit Bumrah.
Notably, Jasprit Bumrah is performing exceptionally well for India since making his debut for the national team in 2016, and in his recent outing, the first Test of the five-match series against England at Headingley in Leeds, the pacer managed to take five-wicket haul in the first innings. While he wasn’t able to bowl India to victory on the fifth and final day in defence of the 370-run total in the fourth innings, his skills and execution under pressure is considered to be the holy grail not only for the next generation, but for his peers as well.
While speaking in an online chat, Navjot Singh Sidhu was quick to ask one of the biggest questions on the lips of not just the athletics but also the cricket fans. When he asked him about which Indian player would be the best performer at the javelin throw, Neeraj Chopra responded, “Mujhe lagta hai ki koi fast bowler hi hoga. Jab proper fitness ke saath honge toh Jasprit Bumrah (I think it would be a fast bowler. So, I think a fully fit Jasprit Bumrah will be good at it.)”
Watch the video here:
Moreover, Neeraj Chopra is currently in great form in track-and-field, winning the gold medal at the Ostrava Golden Spike event with a throw of 85.29 metres. It was just a few weeks ago when he breached the 90-metre barrier in the javelin throw with an attempt of 90.23 metres in the Doha Diamond League under his new coach Jan Zelezny, who is arguably the greatest javelin throw athlete in history.
