Neeraj Chopra Identifies Jasprit Bumrah as Potential Javelin Star Among Indian Cricketers

Fielders at the boundary aim for rocket-like throws to the keeper, but what if they had actual javelin skills to help get the ball back for a run-out? Olympic javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra reckons that among the current Indian cricketers, fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah would do well in his sport.

"I feel it would be a fast bowler," Chopra told Navjot Sidhu when asked which cricketer would make a good javelin thrower. "When Jasprit Bumrah is fully fit and in his prime, I'd like to get him to try javelin.

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"I've also done javelin training with DK paaji [Dinesh Karthik]," Chopra added. "He's also pretty good, but I'd like to try it with a fast bowler." Chopra, who is getting ready for his next tournament, the Neeraj Chopra Classic, to be held in Bengaluru on July 5, was also tested on his cricketing knowledge.

Asked to name three Indian bowlers, he went with: Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Kapil Dev. His three Indian batters were three modern classics: Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma. What about naming three Indian stadiums? Chopra went with venues in Ahmedabad, Delhi and Bengaluru. He was also asked to name three pieces of cricket equipment: bat, wickets and the ball - all beginner-level questions, but we aren't complaining.

Finally, Chopra was asked to name three skills required in javelin as well as in cricket. He listed them as: running fast, throwing, and the "block", which is the phase in which the athlete transfers the power generated from the run-up into the throwing action. "The stronger the block of a bowler, the better they can bowl," he said.

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