Mumbai: Actor Himmanshoo Malhotra, who is the captain of Chennai Swaggers in Ekta Kapoor and Anand Mishra’s MTV BCL, says that he loves his team and this year they will surely try to win the tournament.
“Last year I was the captain of Chennai Swaggers and this year also the owners have retained me as the captain of the team. We have a beautiful team, wonderful cricketers, who are also wonderful actors. Last year, we had reached the semi-finals and this year we will definitely win the finals. So yes, collaborating with the team again is amazing,” he says.
The actor adds that he loves BCL as a platform. “It is a great boost to cricket, it’s very entertaining and it’s the only platform where 200 actors come under one roof to play cricket,” he opines.
The actor feels that it is not really that taxing to take time out to practice every day. “It is not very tough. It was very tough last year when BCL was going on for six months. But this time it is not very tough because it’s only for 10 days. So, it’s very easy. You can take time out after the shoot,” he says.
Himmanshoo has always loved the game. “I love cricket from the very beginning when I was six years old. I have been playing cricket on streets, in clubs then in leagues and then in under-19 tournament and I wanted to play for the country. So, cricket is my passion, my first love. Sports have formed a major transformation in my life,” he shares passionately.
Talking about his main responsibilities as a captain, the actor briefs, “The main tasks and responsibilities are to get together and form a strong team. The team is doing good, the boys and girls are fabulous and the responsibilities will be, as a captain, to acknowledge all the good that has happened in the team and take all the blame. That’s what leaders are supposed to do.”
Himmanshoo says that more than practicing every day, the team needs to work on certain aspects of the game. “On a day-to-day basis, I don’t practice much but cricket is something that’s in my DNA. There’s hand-eye coordination, which I think I am blessed and gifted with and the moment I see the ball, the bat starts moving automatically. I don’t need to practice much. I think you need basic confidence, fearlessness and the hand-eye coordination to play brilliant cricket.”
Talking about building stamina, the actor says, “Right now I am undergoing CrossFit, an advanced form of training, because there’s a new project lined up and I am shooting for that, so the training is going on very hard these days. CrossFit is for cardiovascular strength and I totally love it.
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The actor loves working with Anand Mishra. “He has always been fantastic. He loves cricket and enjoys entertainment and he is a wonderful and warm person. I always liked him; he keeps inviting me to all the other events which he handles. It’s really nice to connect with him,” he says.
Ask Himmanshoo who his favourite player is, and he says, “My favourite cricketer has always been Sachin Tendulkar but every cricket fan’s favourite is M. S. Dhoni. He is loved for the kind of leadership skills he has, for the kind of brain he holds in cricket field and for the kind of calmness he holds. I think it’s fantastic. Following Sachin, Virat Kohli is also fantastic and he is India’s favourite right now.”
