Javelin throw world champion Neeraj Chopra may possess his own sporting superpowers but given a chance, he would borrow one from cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar.
The 27-year-old Neeraj Chopra, who won gold at Tokyo 2020 and silver at Paris 2024, expressed his admiration for the legendary Indian batter’s ‘calm mindset’ when it came to dealing with challenges.
“He represented our country so well for so many years and made so many records for us,” Neeraj told Star Sports, when asked which cricketer’s superpower he would like to borrow.
“The way he faced challenges from many great bowlers and still performed exceptionally. I would want that superpower and try to do the same. It would help me handle challenges that come my way with a calm mindset.”
Neeraj, who joined the elite 90m club earlier this year after a personal best 90.23m throw at the Doha Diamond League, was speaking ahead of the NC Classic – a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event – which will be held in Bengaluru.
The two-time Olympic medallist also drew an interesting parallel between his discipline and cricket, finding common ground between the javelin throw and MS Dhoni’s trademark batting shot.
“I feel MS Dhoni’s helicopter shot is quite similar to a javelin throw in terms of power and technique,” Chopra noted.
Asked which cricketers he believes could make good javelin throwers, Neeraj said former Australian fast bowler Brett Lee would be a natural choice.
“I have heard that Brett Lee was a javelin thrower. I think he could throw the javelin well, especially when he was in his peak years,” he said.
Neeraj also expressed his desire to learn a few tricks of the trade from Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.
“I would like to try javelin with Jasprit Bumrah too and hope he teaches me some bowling skills. While bowling and javelin are both throws, they are very different. I would like to learn from Bumrah.”
Neeraj Chopra will next be seen in action at the NC Classic 2025 in Bengaluru on July 5. The Indian star clinched victories at the Ostrava Golden Spike and Paris Diamond League events earlier this season.