30 March,2011 08:50 AM IST | | Avantika Patil
We all know that his dad, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, made India proud on the cricket field, and this cricket gene hasn't missed Saif. The actor, who will be busy rooting for India today as we take on our archrivals Pakistan, talks to CS about his love for the sport:
I love cricket and have a lot of respect for the game. More than just a past-time, it is like a family tradition for us. The World Cup is certainly keeping me occupied these days, though I confess that I haven't been able to follow it ball by ball due to prior commitments. But I have made it a point to catch the crucial matches like the India-Australia clash in the quarterfinals and of course, I'll be glued to my TV set today.
Go India
More than wanting my favourite players to do well, I hope the team clicks as a unit. Our entire cricket team is very entertaining to watch. For instance, I like watching Yuvraj when he bats well, as he is doing nowadays. Dhoni's captaincy skills as well as (Virender) Sehwag's opening play, are a treat to watch. Of course, Sachin Tendulkar is one name that stands out for most of us. Apart from the Indian players, I like watching Brett Lee and the Pakistani bowlers. They're all very aggressive.
I think that Australia and Pakistan are great teams. Well it's sad that Australia lost the quarterfinals, because after India, the one team that I feel deserved the World Cup, was Australia. But on the flip side, I am very happy that India won. I am excited about the finals. I am shooting in Delhi, but I will take some time off and fly down to Mumbai to catch the match at the Wankhede stadium. And I'm hoping to see India battle it out there.
A new innings
When I was in school, I really liked the idea of being a professional cricket player like my father. Just like every other school boy, I used to play cricket for my school team. The sport was taken very seriously in my schoolu00a0-- we had such beautiful cricket fields to play on. But frankly speaking, I don't think I was good enough to play the game for my country (laughs). Obviously my life laid down another path for me to tread.
Playing Saif
I remember when we were kids, we used to play cricket with my dad. We would bowl at him most of the times. Sometimes, we played a father v/s son match which had obvious results. Dad always won convincingly, as it was impossible to get him out. All of my family, including my cousins, would head to the field while we were in Delhi. They were all captains of the universities they studied in. So, cricket definitely runs in our blood.
Who: Saif Ali Khan
What: Talking about his love for cricket as he cheers for Team India today
