Neeraj Chopra Touts Jasprit Bumrah's Potential as Javelin Thrower

Neeraj Chopra, India's Olympic champion in javelin, has singled out Jasprit Bumrah, the Indian cricket team's formidable fast bowler, as someone who could potentially excel in javelin throwing. This surprising assessment was made during a segment on Star Sports, hosted by Navjot Singh Sidhu, where Chopra discussed the crossover of athletic skills.

Neeraj Chopra believes Jasprit Bumrah has the physical attributes for javelin.

Chopra based his analysis on the physical attributes and techniques inherent in fast bowlers. He emphasized Bumrah's fitness and strength as pivotal factors that would translate well to javelin throwing, had Bumrah not already established himself 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 on Star Sports, highlighting the potential he sees in the cricketer.

Bumrah's recent cricketing performance underscores his athletic capabilities. Notably, in the first Test match against England at Headingley, he achieved his 14th five-wicket haul in the first innings.

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

Bumrah's statistics in 2024 speak volumes about his prowess. He has claimed 78 wickets in just 15 Test matches, making him the leading fast bowler globally during this period. His workload has also been considerable, with 410.4 overs bowled, the highest among all pace bowlers worldwide.

This surpasses Australia's Mitchell Starc, who has bowled 362.3 overs, and England's Gus Atkinson with 328 overs and 54 wickets. Among Indian bowlers, Ravindra Jadeja is the only other player to exceed 400 overs, bowling 400.1 overs, while Mohammed Siraj, who has played the same number of matches as Bumrah, has bowled 355.3 overs.

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

The second Test of the series is scheduled to commence on July 2 in Birmingham.

This discussion about Bumrah's potential in javelin throw emphasizes the athletic synergies between cricket and track and field, particularly the shared physical requirements between fast bowling and javelin throwing.

The announcement coincided with the promotion of the Neeraj Chopra Classic javelin throw event, scheduled for July 5, which will be broadcast on Star Sports.