'Never Compare Myself To Virat Kohli Or...': Neeraj Chopra Admits Cricket Still Most Popular Sport In India

Neeraj Chopra admitted that cricket still remains the most popular sport in India and expressed his wish for all other sports, including javelin, to attain the same heights.

Neeraj Chopra emphasized that he does not wish to compare his popularity to the likes of MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli.

Source : PTI

Neeraj Chopra, the Olympic gold-medalist in javelin throw, remains as humble as ever despite his achievements and immense popularity worldwide.

In an exclusive interview with Sportstar, the star athlete admitted that cricket still remains the most popular sport in India and expressed his wish for all other sports, including javelin, to attain the same heights. Neeraj also emphasized that he does not wish to compare his popularity to the likes of MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli.

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"If you respect your sport and feel satisfied with it, then nothing else should matter," Neeraj Chopra told Sportstar.

The Javelin ace continued, "At the Doha Diamond League, I was asked how popular I was in India. I never tried to compare myself with the likes of Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni because I'm very well aware of the reality of what I am in India."

"Yes, obviously, after the Olympics, people recognize me a lot more, but I know there is a stark difference in my popularity compared to that of a cricketer. Cricket is played in every single alley in the country. It's not like people practise javelin throw in the same way," he added.

Neeraj Chopra expressed his desire for his performances to encourage and inspire more people to start watching javelin and follow the sport closely.

"I don't want any shortcuts to making my sport popular. I want my sport to become popular with my hard work and effort," Neeraj said.

"If there are more javelin-based competitions in India, like the Diamond League, people will become more interested in watching and following the sport. With talented javelin athletes in India, there should be national-level leagues to compete. This would help to boost the sport in India," the 26-year-old added further.