Former Indian cricketer and batting legend Sachin Tendulkar at a function to present the jersey of his team ‘Chennai Thalaivas’ which is making its debut in Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) this season expressed concern over the issue of obesity in the country and also motivated the youth to engage in sports to stay healthy. He said, “It is important for people to stay healthy and there is no better way than taking up some sporting activity.”
Concerned about obesity in India, he said, “By 2020 India is set to be the youngest nation by population. But in obesity, we are number three. A young and unhealthy population is a perfect recipe for disaster. What India needs is more participation in sporting activities.”
When asked whether he supports Kabaddi, he said that not only Kabaddi, he is here to support ‘sports’ in general. He also expressed his love for the game and said, “At some stage in our life we all would have played Kabaddi. When I went to watch a match some time ago, the kind of energy I felt was incredible. I have since loved the game.”
He gave a quite humorous answer when asked whom he would pick in his dream team. He answered, “Certainly MS Dhoni as a defender and Breathless-fame Shankar Mahadevan as the raider.”
Sachin also thanked Tamil actor Kamal Haasan, who is the brand ambassador of the team and was present at the event. Kamal Haasan expressing his happiness to be associated with the team said, “I am delighted to see a cricket legend (Tendulkar) throw his weight behind kabaddi and get involved with a team.”
Other co-owners including Allu Aravind, Allu Arjun and Ram Charan were also present at the function and thanked Sachin Tendulkar and Kamal Haasan for backing Kabaddi which is a traditional sport.
The team and its supporting staff were also unveiled during the function.