Hardik Pandya as a Formula One driver, Neeraj Chopra as a sprinter and PV Sindhu as a boxer are just some of the alternative sports careers My Kolkata has envisaged (with help from AI) for India’s best athletes on National Sports Day, observed to celebrate the birth anniversary of hockey legend Dhyan Chand, who himself would have been a handful on just about any kind of pitch
Images courtesy: Midjourney
Lazy elegance and a stand-and-deliver approach define Rohit Sharma, making him effective at handling set pieces as a footballer. Be it corners, free-kicks or even the odd penalty kick, Rohit’s class and grace can make the dead ball come alive. Add to that his power and upper-body strength and Rohit becomes a perfect candidate for playing as a number 10, tucked in behind the strikers. As on the cricket field, do not expect Rohit to defend too much, though!
P.V. Sindhu would make for a fine boxer on persistence alone. But considering her agility, strength and world-class instincts, Sindhu is not someone you would like to face in the ring. At almost 5’9”, Sindhu would be taller than most women in her weight division, giving her a distinct advantage when it comes to avoiding sudden hooks. But the most exciting part of watching Sindhu box is knowing that there are few better when it comes to nailing one smash after another!
Anybody who has seen Leander Paes operate on the tennis court knows how the 18-time Grand Slam champion is a master at anticipating his opponent’s moves. There is no reason why this skill cannot translate onto the chess board, especially with Paes having played his fair share of chess over the years. Paes’s concentration levels and his patience to wear a rival down should also play to his strengths, giving him more than a decent chance of serving up a checkmate!
Even with a javelin in hand, the sight of Neeraj Chopra in full flow is one to marvel at. Now imagine what he can do when he does not have to hurl an object weighing 800g across 100m. Chopra’s impressive build and long, muscular legs might make him more suited to running longer distances, but it is not impossible for him to strike gold (again!) should he ever attempt to sprint his way to the finish line!
The world has seen a lot of Viswanathan Anand in action, but almost nothing of it has been on the move. The sedentary habits of chess will test Anand’s mobility should he switch to tennis, but what will not be a hindrance is Anand’s lightning-fast brain. The cerebral aspect of tennis often goes underrated, and given Anand’s intelligence, do not rule him out from devising a serve and volley strategy that would make Roger Federer proud!
The short-arm jab is characteristic of a champion boxer. Luckily for our counterfactual scenario, it is also useful for a batter, especially while playing horizontal bat shots off the back foot. That is exactly what we expect Mary Kom to do should she decide to opt for a different sort of gloves and try out a different kind of hitting. Kom’s speed and reflexes should also help her in mastering batting, even as her diminutive stature means that she will be an unlikely candidate for LBWs!
Few sports can rev up flair and flamboyance quite like Formula One. And few cricketers can ooze the same qualities quite like Hardik Pandya. With his uber-cool confidence, penchant for outlandish haircuts and love for speed, Pandya would fit seamlessly into an F1 car (with K.L. Rahul acting as his race director!), becoming the closest answer India has to Lewis Hamilton. Most importantly, as he has proven multiple times in his actual field of expertise, Pandya knows when to come up clutch!
