Indian Olympians who played First-Class cricket

India has been a cricket crazy country since the time one can imagine. Apart from hockey in the Olympics, cricket is one sport which India has achieved the most success in.

So, it should come as no surprise when you realise that some of the athletes who represented India in the Olympics have also tried their hand in cricket and have played a fair amount of first-class cricket. Here, we look at such sportspersons who have represented the country in Olympics and have also played first-class cricket:

Peter Paul Fernandes

Peter Paul Fernandes

Born in February 1916, Peter Paul Fernandes was an Indian hockey player and was a part of the 1936 Berlin Olympics gold-winning Indian hockey squad. A forward in the hockey field, Fernandes was the first player from Goa to represent India in hockey. The hockey star has played a total of 9 first-class cricket matches for Sindh, which was then a part of India.

Subimal Goswami

Subimal Goswami

By far the most easily recognisable name in this list, Subimal or Chuni Goswami was an Indian footballing legend. Hailing from the state of West Bengal, he represented the Kolkata based Mohun Bagan during his career and was a part of the Indian football team during the 1960 Rome Olympics. Though mostly known for his exploits in the football field, Goswami was a highly talented cricketer as well, playing 46 Ranji Trophy matches for his home state Bengal whilst also captaining them to the final of the 1971-72 season.

Cheruvari Lakshmanan

Born in April 1898, Cheruvari Lakshmanan was a social activist and a track and field athlete who specialised in hurdles. He was a part of the eight member Indian contingent for the 1924 Paris Olympics and competed in 110m hurdles. Lakshmanan was the first athlete from the state of Kerala to represent India at the Olympics. Besides, he played a total of eight first-class matches for spanning over two seasons – the 1925-26 and the 1930-31 for the then Madras province.