New Delhi. It is not easy to earn name at national and international level by choosing any sport as a career. Like any other field of life, to be successful in sports, apart from hard work, a player also needs a certain amount of luck. There have been many players in the country who, despite being extremely talented, either could not play at the top level due to lack of luck or got injured at the last moment or their career was very short.
Apart from this, there have also been some players who achieved mastery in not one but two sports. There have been some players in the country who played at the top level in not one but two sports and earned name. Some cricketers are also included in this list.
Yuzvendra Chahal: Along with being a clever bowler, he is also an expert in chess.
33-year-old Yuzvendra Chahal is recognized as an excellent right-arm wrist spinner. He has been an important member of the Indian team in ODI and T20. Currently, the maximum number of wickets for India in T20 is in the name of Yuji Chahal. So far, he has taken 121 wickets in 72 ODIs at an average of 27.13 and 96 wickets in 80 T20s at an average of 25.09. However, Chahal’s identity as a player does not end here. Many people might not be aware that Chahal is not only an excellent chess player but has also represented India in some international tournaments at the junior level. Chahal, winner of the 2002 National U-12 Chess Championship, has also played in the Asian and World U-12 Championships. It is also said that even in the game of cricket, Chahal makes strategies like a skilled chess player to get out the opposition batsmen.
Jemimah Rodriguez: Apart from cricket, she is also excellent in hockey.
23-year-old Jemimah Rodrigues from Mumbai is a member of the Indian women’s team in all three formats of cricket. He is counted among the talented batsmen of the country. Jemima has so far played two Tests, 27 ODIs and 92 T20s for India. Jemima, one of the most bubbly players of the Indian team, is also an excellent dancer. She has represented the Maharashtra team in hockey. Jemima, who was a member of the school hockey team, has been a member of Maharashtra Under 17 team. In the year 2022 itself, he not only participated in a local hockey tournament in Mumbai but also scored two goals.
Robin Uthappa: Played hockey for Karnataka, then switched to cricket.
Robin Uthappa was a member of the 2007 T20 World Cup champion Indian team. Robin was counted among the best batsmen of the country in the shorter format, however, his career came to a halt only after 46 ODIs and 13 T20s. Robin has scored 934 runs (six half-centuries) at an average of 25.94 in One Day International and 249 runs at an average of 24.90 in T20I. Before making a career in cricket, Robin had played hockey for his state Karnataka as a fullback. Later he started taking cricket seriously and played for India. Robin played his last match in international cricket on 19 July 2015 against Zimbabwe in Harare. Even after this, he continued playing in the Indian Premier League till 2022. In IPL 2014, Robin scored the maximum 660 runs while playing for KKR and also won the Orange Cap.
Chunni Goswami: Member of Indian football team in Olympics, also played cricket
Chuni Goswami is counted among the best footballers of the country. As a striker, he also played for the Indian team in the Olympics and Asian Games. Born on 15 January 1938 in the Bengal province of undivided India, Chunni was once called the poster boy of Indian football. He was expert in driving and passing. Apart from football, Chunni was also a good player of cricket and tennis. As a right-handed batsman and medium pace bowler, he played in domestic cricket tournaments including Ranji Trophy. In 46 first class matches, he scored 1592 runs (one century) at an average of 28.42 and also took 47 wickets (5 wickets once in an innings) at an average of 24.08.
C Ramaswami: Along with cricket, he is also excellent in tennis.
Kotar Ramaswami, who played two test matches in the year 1936, has also played for India in tennis. He has been a member of the Indian team in the Davis Cup tennis tournament. Talking about cricket, C Ramaswami remained unbeaten once in four innings of two Tests and scored 170 runs at an average of 56.66, during which 60 runs was his highest score. The interesting thing is that at the age at which players retire (40 years, 37 days), he made his Test debut against England in Manchester in the year 1936. Ramaswamy scored 2400 runs in 53 first class matches at an average of 28.91 with two centuries and took 30 wickets at an average of 33.06. Ramaswami used to bat with his left hand and bowl with his right hand.
Apart from these players, Kapil Dev, Ajit Agarkar, Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh have also been playing golf as an amateur after retiring from cricket. Kapil and Ajit have also won some golf tournaments. Kapil has also played some exhibition matches for East Bengal Football Club.