Posted:
'Of course I want India to win'
By Subhash K Jha
Amrita Arora: "I'm not a huge cricket fan. My favourite players are Ricky Pointing and Rahul Dravid. They're both very reliable players. I guess it's a matter of pride for all of us if India wins. We've a dish installed on our set and we'll be watching the matches."
Madhavan: "It would be great for the country's morals if India wins. But I'm not a cricket fanatic. It isn't mandatory for me to watch all the matches. I will whenever I get time off from my schedules."
Shabana Azmi: "I know nothing about cricket…But I resent it. I cease to exist for my husband Javed and the staff when the matches are on. I've to fend for myself even for a cup of tea. Farhan (Akhtar) drapes a khaki Indian flag around the TV and everybody goes mad. Of course I want India to win."
Urmila Matondkar: "I'm not really a cricket fan. But it IS the World Cup. My favourites are Tendulkar and Dhoni. And it is of utmost importance that we win. I'll cheer so loud from down here that our team would hear it down there and get the Cup for us."
Arshad Warsi: "It's very important for India to win. Because then I can walk with my head held high. My favourite players is Sachin. I won't be able to watch all the matches as I'm shooting in London and my time belongs to my producer and director. And I'm not a huge cricket fan."
Malaika Arora: "I certainly will watch the game Brian Lara is my favourite. He's certainly the most stylish and flamboyant player. And this just might be his last world cup. And obviously we all would be cheering the Indian team."
Irrfan Khan: "I was once madly in love with cricket. But now it's barely come down to knowing who won and who lost. My favourite cricketers are Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar and Steven Waugh. Will cheer for India. But my mind tells me India might surprise us."
Hema Malini: "I don't know much about the game. But I'd any day be happy to see India win."
Hiten Tejwani: "I'm a huge cricket fan. Sachin Tendulkar is my favourite cricketer. Yes I'll certainly try to watch the matches. I think I'll watch them with some of my friends, around 10-12 of us cricket lovers."
Iqbal Khan: "Yeah I like cricket…but only to the extent that I just watch the finals …and that only if India is playing. Yes, it's important for me that India wins …and not just in cricket but any competitive endeavour. You won't find a more patriotic Indian than me."
Sohail Khan: "More than a cricket fan I'm a Sachin fan, for being a humble genius. I met him once and was very impressed. I'll definitely watch some of the matches with my dad and his friends, specially the last few games. Actually Dad's middle-name is cricket."
Rahul Bose: "I love sports,chess and cricket included.I could quote statistics on both with equal confidence. I'm completely sports crazy. Cricket is the sport I love watching the most. One-day cricket is a matter of who plays better on that day. I mean Bangladesh has beaten Australia in the past.
Can it get any more bizarre than that. I don't want to obsess about us winning or losing on a particular day. But yes, there's an abundance of talent. The only question is, will there be at least 5 out of 11 players on a given day who play their best? If they do, fine. If they don't, no problem.
As a sports person let me tell you, all every sports guy wants to do on the field is to give his hundred percent. Have cricketers become over-merchandised? That's utter rubbish. In the olden days cricketers played for a 100 days and sat at home for the rest of the year.
If now cricketers decide to do an ad in their spare time, what's wrong with that? Since they're visible in their free time, there's resentment. It's fair that sports-persons make lots of money outside their sports. Unlike you or me who can be functional till 60 or 70, these boys' careers will be finished in 4-5 years.
By Subhash K Jha
Amrita Arora: "I'm not a huge cricket fan. My favourite players are Ricky Pointing and Rahul Dravid. They're both very reliable players. I guess it's a matter of pride for all of us if India wins. We've a dish installed on our set and we'll be watching the matches."
Madhavan: "It would be great for the country's morals if India wins. But I'm not a cricket fanatic. It isn't mandatory for me to watch all the matches. I will whenever I get time off from my schedules."
Shabana Azmi: "I know nothing about cricket…But I resent it. I cease to exist for my husband Javed and the staff when the matches are on. I've to fend for myself even for a cup of tea. Farhan (Akhtar) drapes a khaki Indian flag around the TV and everybody goes mad. Of course I want India to win."
Urmila Matondkar: "I'm not really a cricket fan. But it IS the World Cup. My favourites are Tendulkar and Dhoni. And it is of utmost importance that we win. I'll cheer so loud from down here that our team would hear it down there and get the Cup for us."
Arshad Warsi: "It's very important for India to win. Because then I can walk with my head held high. My favourite players is Sachin. I won't be able to watch all the matches as I'm shooting in London and my time belongs to my producer and director. And I'm not a huge cricket fan."
Malaika Arora: "I certainly will watch the game Brian Lara is my favourite. He's certainly the most stylish and flamboyant player. And this just might be his last world cup. And obviously we all would be cheering the Indian team."
Irrfan Khan: "I was once madly in love with cricket. But now it's barely come down to knowing who won and who lost. My favourite cricketers are Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar and Steven Waugh. Will cheer for India. But my mind tells me India might surprise us."
Hema Malini: "I don't know much about the game. But I'd any day be happy to see India win."
Hiten Tejwani: "I'm a huge cricket fan. Sachin Tendulkar is my favourite cricketer. Yes I'll certainly try to watch the matches. I think I'll watch them with some of my friends, around 10-12 of us cricket lovers."
Iqbal Khan: "Yeah I like cricket…but only to the extent that I just watch the finals …and that only if India is playing. Yes, it's important for me that India wins …and not just in cricket but any competitive endeavour. You won't find a more patriotic Indian than me."
Sohail Khan: "More than a cricket fan I'm a Sachin fan, for being a humble genius. I met him once and was very impressed. I'll definitely watch some of the matches with my dad and his friends, specially the last few games. Actually Dad's middle-name is cricket."
Rahul Bose: "I love sports,chess and cricket included.I could quote statistics on both with equal confidence. I'm completely sports crazy. Cricket is the sport I love watching the most. One-day cricket is a matter of who plays better on that day. I mean Bangladesh has beaten Australia in the past.
Can it get any more bizarre than that. I don't want to obsess about us winning or losing on a particular day. But yes, there's an abundance of talent. The only question is, will there be at least 5 out of 11 players on a given day who play their best? If they do, fine. If they don't, no problem.
As a sports person let me tell you, all every sports guy wants to do on the field is to give his hundred percent. Have cricketers become over-merchandised? That's utter rubbish. In the olden days cricketers played for a 100 days and sat at home for the rest of the year.
If now cricketers decide to do an ad in their spare time, what's wrong with that? Since they're visible in their free time, there's resentment. It's fair that sports-persons make lots of money outside their sports. Unlike you or me who can be functional till 60 or 70, these boys' careers will be finished in 4-5 years.
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