Sachin Tendulkar went down memory lane to illustrate his passion for kabaddi, and explain why he is now the co-owner of the Chennai franchise in the Pro Kabaddi League along with Hyderabad-based enterpreneur Nimmagadda Prasad.
“We have all played kabaddi at one stage or the other. I played in my school days. In fact, there are three Indian sports which formed an integral part of our curriculum: kabaddi, kho kho and langdi . Then you had the other games,” Tendulkar said in an exclusive chat with The Hindu from Mumbai.
“The reason we chose Chennai is pretty simple. I consider it one of the greatest sporting centres in the world, and a huge supporter of all sports. I played a lot of cricket and I admire the way they promote any sport. And kabaddi too has a huge following in this part of the country. I am sure the fans will support the team in a big way,” Tendulkar said.
“I enjoyed watching the first season of the PKL. The atmosphere and the energy on show were something really special. I really liked the whole experience of being there,” he said.
“Frankly speaking, I was amazed at the way fans of different age groups have responded to the PKL. In fact, my son was also talking a lot about it. When we had a meeting of the players, I was pleasantly surprised at the ease with he was reeling off the names of the PKL stars and their performances. You could actually feel it,” Tendulkar remarked. “This League has caught the imagination of the younger generation. They are so involved and engaged.”
The cricket legend also spoke of the nature of his association with Prasad, calling him more a friend than a business partner.
“We will be have talks with the telecaster regarding the venues, and we expect complete support from the Tamil Nadu Government though we are outsiders who have adopted the State for this sport,” said Prasad, who has also contributed substantially towards the establishment of Pullela Gopi Chand’s badminton academy in its formative years.
