Olympic Champion Neeraj Chopra Touts Jasprit Bumrah's Javelin Potential

Neeraj Chopra, India's Olympic javelin champion, has named Jasprit Bumrah, the Indian cricket team's fast bowler, as a potential javelin star. Chopra made the surprising pick during a segment on Star Sports, hosted by Navjot Singh Sidhu.

India's Neeraj Chopra (PTI Photo/Ravi Choudhary)

Chopra believes that Bumrah's physical attributes and the techniques used by fast bowlers make him a strong candidate for the sport. He specifically highlighted Bumrah's fitness and strength as key elements that would translate well to javelin, had he not already excelled in cricket.

"I think it would be a fast bowler for sure. So, I think a fully fit Jasprit Bumrah will be good at it," Chopra stated.

Bumrah's recent cricketing performances underscore his physical capabilities. In the first Test match against England at Headingley, Bumrah achieved his 14th five-wicket haul in the first innings.

However, England won the match, successfully chasing down a target of 371 runs, with Ben Duckett scoring 149 runs. This victory gave England a 1-0 lead in the five-match Test series.

Bumrah's statistics in 2024 show his impressive form. He has taken 78 wickets in just 15 Test matches, making him the leading fast bowler globally during this period.

He has bowled 410.4 overs, the highest among all pace bowlers worldwide, demonstrating his significant workload. This is more than Australia's Mitchell Starc (362.3 overs) and England's Gus Atkinson (328 overs and 54 wickets).

Among Indian bowlers, Ravindra Jadeja is the only other player to exceed 400 overs, bowling 400.1 overs. Mohammed Siraj, who has played the same number of matches as Bumrah, has bowled 355.3 overs.

Bumrah is expected to be rested for the upcoming Test at Edgbaston, due to workload management. Siraj is anticipated to lead the pace attack, despite his performance in the Headingley Test.

The second Test of the series is scheduled to begin on July 2 in Birmingham, where India will attempt to level the series against England.

The discussion about Bumrah's potential in javelin highlights the similarities in athletic demands between cricket and track and field, specifically fast bowling and javelin throwing.

The announcement was made to promote the upcoming Neeraj Chopra Classic javelin throw event, scheduled for July 5, which will be broadcast on Star Sports.