5 Indian cricketers who have played other sports

Cricketers are, but naturally, expected to excel in the sport they have specialized in. However, there are some athletes who are multi-talented and hence are good at doing well in more than one sport. There are numerous examples of sportspeople representing the country in more than one sport.

Speaking of cricketers, South African legend Jonty Rhodes was also part of the country’s hockey team. Post-retirement, England 2005 Ashes hero Andrew Flintoff briefly dabbled in boxing while Sir Ian Botham was a talented footballer who played in the English Football League.

Among women cricketers, New Zealand’s Suzie Bates represented her country's basketball team in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and Ellyse Perry represented Australia at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

There have been a few Indian cricketers as well who have made a name in other sports. In this feature, we look at five Indian players who have excelled beyond the gentleman’s game.

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#1 Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal has represented India in chess.

Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is among Team India’s star performers in white-ball cricket in the current setup.

He has claimed 118 ODI wickets in 67 matches at an average of 26.39. The 31-year-old is also India’s leading wicket-taker in the T20I format. He has claimed 79 wickets in 62 matches at a 23.94 and a strike rate of 17.7.

The leggie is the only player who has represented India in both chess and cricket. He featured in the World Youth Chess Championship before giving up the game as he could not find any sponsors.

Chahal’s name is listed in the World Chess Federation's official site.

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#2 Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev has taken a liking to golf post retirement. Pic: Getty Images

Kapil Dev is unarguably the greatest all-rounder India has ever produced and one of the best the world has ever seen. His amazing success at the international level has inspired future generations to take up fast bowling, something unheard of in India before.

After excelling in cricket and breaking a few world records, the 1983 World Cup-winning legend represented India in a number of senior amateur golf tournaments.

He was chosen along with Rishi Narain and Amit Luthra to represent India at the Asia Pacific Senior 2018. In March 2021, he was included as one of the board members of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI).

Regarding his fondness for the sport, Kapil once said:

“I loved football when I was still playing cricket but golf became a passion. And then an addiction really.”

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#3 Cotah Ramaswami

Cotah Ramaswami played cricket and tennis.

Cotah Ramaswami represented India in both tennis and cricket. He played in the Davis Cup in 1920s and then represented India in two Tests during the tour of England in 1936. His Test debut came at the age of 40.

Ramaswami impressed in the two Tests, scoring 170 runs at an average of 56.66 with a highest score of 60. He had a decent first-class career, scoring 2400 runs in 53 matches at an average of 28.91 with two hundreds and 12 fifties.

Ramaswami also picked up 30 wickets at an average of 33.06.

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#4 Ajit Agarkar

Ajit Agarkar has been impressive on the golf course.

Ajit Agarkar was once touted as the next Kapil Dev. He could never achieve the heights of the 'Haryana Hurricane'. However, he had a reasonably good career at the international level, particularly in white-ball cricket.

Agarkar claimed 288 wickets in 191 ODIs at an average of 27.85 and an economy rate of 5.07. He managed only 58 wickets in 26 Tests, but was the bowling hero with figures of six for 41 in India’s famous triumph in Adelaide in 2003-04.

Post-retirement, Agarkar, like Kapil, took a liking to golf. He has been quite impressive in the sport and has won a few amateur tournaments as well.

In 2016, he won the India Finals of the BMR World Corporate Golf Challenge held at Prestige Golfshire in Bengaluru.

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#5 Chuni Goswami

Chuni Goswami tasted success in football and cricket.

The late Chuni Goswami was a renowned footballer. He made 50 international appearances for India, captaining them to gold at the 1962 Asian Games and silver in the 1964 Asia Cup. He also represented the Indian team that took part in the 1960 Summer Olympics.

After retiring from football, Goswami shifted focus to cricket. He represented Bengal in 46 first-class matches, scoring 1592 runs at an average of 28.42.

He scored one hundred and seven fifties. With his medium pace, he claimed 47 wickets at an average of 24.08.

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