00:00I'm very excited you are here for the IPL games, because I think it feels like a long
00:07time since anything exciting happened in the world of sporting, I suppose. So how has it
00:12been so far?
00:13Happening, yes, it has happened last time in the second, just a little earlier to the
00:17second wave. But then since crowd weren't allowed inside, I guess for the crowd, from
00:22the crowds per se, I think this is something exciting happening after long. Feels like
00:28a decade though.
00:29I know you are very sporting in general, even when it comes to your movies as well. Yesterday
00:33your tweet was a very telling one. Do you win some to lose some when you look at the
00:38RCB match last night?
00:39See, go back to the history in a couple of years back, few years, not couple of years
00:44back, from last season to a couple of years, if you see RCB is way ahead of their own performances
00:52and they are right now in the number three position. And if you see all the first three,
00:57they are all in the equities of number of matches, number of victories, number of losses.
01:04Only place where, only the spot where we are lacking behind is the run rate. Apart from
01:08that everything looks the same though. So I guess there is a lot of positive approach
01:14towards the game from RCB and the way they have operated with their selections of the
01:18team and the strategies. See, one victory, I mean, like suppose there are, like let's
01:26say there are two countries having a war. And if your country just happens to have a
01:31bad day in the war, you mean to say you lose your loyalty towards your country or you start
01:37disbelieving, what is it?
01:39Yeah, true.
01:40So why is it that, you know, when it comes to your personal life, you have this, we all
01:45have this philosophy, we lose, it's okay, it's a bad day. And when it is a country,
01:50it's sports, you know, we just bounce on them and say like as though they are all just criminals.
01:54I think they are the heroes, that's why they are there and we are sitting in the spectators
01:58gallery and watching. And if they were not what they are, we will be there in the centre
02:03and they probably would be sitting and watching us. So every hero, even as an actor, we all
02:08have our flops. Does that mean fans say that we are done or what is it?
02:13Why are we literally holding a, what do you say, one imaginary stone in our hand every
02:20time we are watching a match? Ready to stone. No, I don't think so, I don't think so. It's
02:25a game by the end of the day, they are doing, it's just that, you know, the other team played
02:28extremely well yesterday. Come on, give some credit, they are also our team, they all belong,
02:33many of them belong to India. So it's nice. There should be competitiveness and I think
02:39people should perform and it's because IPL is doing well and all the teams are playing
02:43well, we are getting many good players for the country. So I think yesterday, like for
02:48example, Prasidh who took the wicket of, Prasidhi who took the wicket of Virat Kohli in his
02:53very first over comes from Karnataka. Now we are supposed to clap, we are supposed to
02:59feel sad, what is it? There is another newcomer coming up who is going to, I am sure Virat
03:04will be also a happy man to see that there is a good bowler who deceived him, who is
03:10considered as one of the world's best batsmen. So there is a life there, out there and there
03:14is always a positive side to it. Right, and speaking of Virat, who do you think should
03:18take the crown now? He is such a legend, so what do you think? Just your playing favourites,
03:24you can, like who do you think? No, I have no idea about that, see, like for example
03:28when Mahendra Singh Dhoni was given the captaincy, everybody least expected him to take over
03:32the cap. So anything can happen here. But I am happy because, see, our country definitely
03:39needs Virat Kohli in his topmost form all the time. At least that is what we all hope
03:45so. And I think coming down from a responsibility, I am sure he knows what he is doing and it
03:52is for the betterment of his own game and I think that is the best. And whoever owns
03:57the cap, I think they will do better. It is not an easy task. Definitely, because now
04:02they have experienced Virat also there. See, now let us presume whoever the captain is,
04:09can you just look at the squad? He has so many wonderful players under him playing and
04:14I think that will be the, this is the best side somebody can have, can do a captaincy,
04:18you know. Right, right, right. Who are your favourite players, you know, not in RCB alone,
04:25across the board, who do you root for the whole time? Your absolute favourite players.
04:31I have always been a fan of Dhoni and so it is always there, I think everybody are. So
04:37it is not anything to do with IPL, it is on the country per se, when you see and I think
04:42probably he is one of the rare people who, from the ground when I was seated there, I
04:46have also clapped, shouted, whistled. Of course, whistling not in a great way, because I do
04:51not know how to whistle though. Of course, even the World Cup is coming up, so are you
04:55really anticipating, do you think it is a big deal as well? I think people say that
05:00is the real deal, you know. Nothing is a deal. See, if you are a cricket lover, it is a cricket
05:04by the end of the day. I think I am so happy, forget the World Cup and other things, I am
05:08so happy that people have started enjoying Test match of late and there are results coming
05:12out of every Test match and I think I am a great Test match fan too. I think, just when
05:17you come and sit there, see, many, a couple of years back, for a Test match, I do not
05:23think we would switch on the television, probably just hear the news by the end of the day,
05:26what is the total today. But I guess there is a small change in their whole approach
05:31and which even their jerseys reflected. Now, they have this slight black border to it and
05:38a number to it and not little more, they realised just plain white was not working. It is just
05:44a small tweaking with it. But it is looking nice and I think the present players approach
05:49is they are not ready to go back home with just a draw. We do not mind losing, but let
05:55us have a result. That is their approach and I guess that is what is giving every Test
05:59match a result now. And that is making it interesting for us to watch their approach,
06:04their aggressiveness and their five days also, no less in their spirits, irrelevant to the
06:10weather conditions they are playing in at times. Because India recently when they went
06:15to England, see, it is too cold. We are not used to such things, but it is too cold. But
06:20I guess that fire in them keeps them going and you can imagine their fitness levels.
06:26If we, coming from our country, can go and play in that weather, that cold and still
06:31no muscle tear and everything and catches and everything, I think they are fabulous
06:35in their physical fitness and I think that team is giving a lot of look into it. So,
06:40World Cup you are talking. See, for me, World Cup, any World Cup is very interesting because
06:46you get to see all the countries there trying to take the cup, trying to stamp their talents
06:55and victory over the other. See, as an Indian cricketer, everybody's main match will be
07:03India-Pakistan match. Whatever is said and done, I don't know why, but there is always
07:07that fire and thing and it is happening. Just yesterday, day before yesterday, we were speaking
07:13and they were giving a date that this is the date it will be happening and I was like trying
07:17to figure it out and I said that one day I have to come and see the match live and go
07:22back. The last match I saw India-Pakistan was when I was in, I think, early college.
07:33It was a World Cup again, college or school, I don't remember, where Venkatesh Prasad,
07:40Sohail showed the bat and then Venkatesh Prasad took the next ball wicket. I think that was
07:45the last match I saw live. I have not seen after that India-Pakistan match. I guess this
07:50is one after many, many years. It calls for a kind of like, leave everything. What do
07:55you want actually? You want to go to the ground to see that? That nail-biting finishing and
07:59especially the country which always gives that competition. It brings out the best in
08:04us also and it brings out the best in them also. So, I guess there is that extra pace
08:08in the bowlers, extra shots, extra fire. Even among the audiences, normally we are such
08:14good people generally. I mean, we have such amazing friends. On that day, not so much.
08:19You know, I guess, see, they will clap for everything. It is not that. But it has got
08:24nothing to do in the personal relationship with anyone, any of these parts of the country
08:29here. It is just the sport. On the sport, it is always there. Like when we had CCL,
08:34when we were playing CCL and there was always this Karnataka and Tamil. Chennai Rhinos and
08:40Karnataka Bulldogs. Whenever this match used to happen, other players, other states also
08:45used to sit and watch like watch because we were hooked on to it. Everybody, the moment
08:50you cross that rope, we were all like, we just wanted the ball to go through them, you
08:56know. It's not even get them out. It was that kind of a feeling we used to have against
08:59each other. But then we were all friends. By the end of the day, we had party together.
09:03But that will be there. So, that one thing I am looking forward to, the World Cup.
Comments