Neeraj Chopra

India's star javelin athlete Neeraj Chopra believes that he has never compared his popularity with cricketers because he knows that cricket is at a different level in India. There is a lot of talk about the achievements of other sports in India becoming more common than cricket.

Neeraj has a different opinion on this issue. Ahead of the Paris Olympics starting on July 26, Neeraj said that an athlete should not think about popularity, money or other things before taking up a sport. I already knew that the level of cricket is different and the popularity that a cricketer gets is not available to a player of any other sport but that does not mean that I have no other option except cricket. I already wanted to become a javelin player, because I liked it. I did not know that I would win an Olympic gold medal.

Neeraj expressed happiness that people started recognizing him after the Olympics. Neeraj said that he has never compared himself with star cricketers like Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni because I know the reality of who I am in India. People started recognizing me after the Olympics but I know that there is a difference in popularity between me and the cricketers.