The 2024 Paris Olympics is happening, and India has sent its biggest team ever, hoping to win the most medals.
Unfortunately, cricket, a strong sport for India, is not included in the event. Still, almost every Indian athlete there knows about cricket.
In India, cricket is like a religion, and very few people are unaware of it or haven’t play it, whether men’s or women’s cricket.
India has plenty of talented athletes, and some of them in the Olympics team could have been great cricketers if they had chosen that path, Since they can’t switch to cricket now.
Let’s look at India’s top 5 Indian Olympians who might have been cricketers in another life.
1. Neeraj Chopra
Neeraj Chopra, who won a gold medal at the last Olympics, is one of the most famous athletes in India outside of cricket. His achievements have made him a big star.
India could use his strong arm for powerful throws from the outfield in cricket, and his great physique would also be perfect for the sport. With some training, he could bowl fast or hit long shots thanks to his strong shoulders.
Chopra has talked about being compared to cricket stars like Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni and the popularity of cricket in India. He is also happy that cricket will be part of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
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2. PV Sindhu
Badminton needs a lot of stamina, and PV Sindhu has shown this very well in her career, adding great skill too.
As women’s cricket grows, India is seeing more talented players. The cricket team would benefit from someone like Sindhu, with her high stamina and athletic ability. Her tall height could have made her a strong fast bowler with training, and her stamina would allow her to bowl for long periods easily. Her athleticism would also be very useful in fielding.
3. Sumit Nagal
Sumit Nagal, the highest-ranked Indian tennis player, is currently India’s best hope to shine in the tennis world.
Nagal could also join lower-division cricket teams because he already has the skills. He loved cricket when he was growing up and played it on the streets before choosing tennis as a career.
Earlier this year, during the 2024 Australian Open, he even had a net session at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). He swapped his tennis racket for a cricket bat and practiced playing drives instead of forehand smashes.
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4. Harmanpreet Singh
India’s hockey star Harmanpreet Singh shined in their exciting 3-2 win over New Zealand to start their Olympic journey. He is known for his powerful drag flicks and strong leadership skills, which is why he is the team’s captain.
Hockey legend Dhanraj Pillay compared Harmanpreet’s leadership to cricket’s MS Dhoni. However, Harmanpreet modestly downplayed the comparison, though it doesn’t lessen his leadership abilities.
5. Lakshya Sen
Getting a higher Yo-Yo Test score than Virat Kohli, who is the best in Indian cricket for fitness, is a big deal. Just based on this, Lakshya Sen could have been a cricketer in another life. With his strong body and high fitness levels, adding the right skills would have made him great.
At 22 years old, he scored 22.4 on the tough Yo-Yo Test, which measures athletes’ endurance.
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