In India, cricket has always been more than a sport. It has been synonymous with a festival that unites. While the nation boasts an avid number of cricket enthusiasts, the world of Bollywood is no exception. From Saif Ali Khan, Riteish Deshmukh, Aparshakti Khurana to Sharad Kelkar, here’s looking at actors who are also cricket lovers.
Saif Ali Khan: Saif Ali Khan hails from Indian cricket royalty, roots of which date back to the pre-Independence era. Both Saif’s grandfather and father captained the Indian Test Cricket Team. Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, his grandfather, played six test matches for India, including the very first one in 1932. The fact that Saif Ali Khan was recently spotted at Lord’s proves that he still remains a cricket fanatic.
Ranveer Singh: Ranveer Singh is also one among the biggest fans of cricket, who was keen to become a cricketer before entering Bollywood. The 83 star aspired to be a part of the prestigious cricket team, was also trained at the Bombay Gymkhana Club, but was unfortunately rejected by Mohinder Amarnath, who was a part of the 1983 World Cup-winning Indian cricket team. Interestingly, Ranveer Singh played the legendary Kapil Dev in 83, portraying the Indian National Cricket Team’s captain who got India its World Cup in 1983.
Sharad Kelkar: Sharad Kelkar grew up playing cricket with his father in his earlier days, and isn’t shy while talking about it. He is also known for participating in Celebrity Cricket Leagues as a part of the Mumbai Heroes team, gaining all the attention for his explosive batting skills and medium-pace bowling.
Riteish Deshmukh: Riteish Deshmukh owns Mumbai Heroes, an Indian celebrity cricket team based in Mumbai. The team competes in the Celebrity Cricket League and represents Hindi cinema as it is made up of celebrities from the Indian film industry including himself alongside Bobby Deol, Sohail Khan, Suniel Shetty and others. This year too, Riteish Deshmukh leads the team as the captain for CCL.
Aparshakti Khurana: Aparshakti Khurana is also a cricket enthusiast who had captained the Haryana U-19 cricket team before venturing into the world of films. The actor has even played at the national level before realising his pathway into Bollywood.
Be it demonstrating dynamism with their portrayals on-screen or showcasing love for cricket, these actors know how to win hearts!