Sports India

In a candid chat with After Hours, Yuvraj Singh talks about his hopes for an Arjuna Award, masti in Mumbai and his Bollywood aspirations.

Yuvraj Singh is on a roll and that big smile on his face is saying it all — he’s currently the top ODI batsman in the world and has been nominated for an Arjuna Award. “It’s an honour because it’s such a big award. And you get to meet the President,” he says earnestly. “I was nominated for the last two years, but I didn’t get it. Hopefully, this year it’ll become a feather in my cap.”

In town for just a day to shoot for the Autumn-Winter catalogue of Westside, a fashion label he endorses, he takes to the cameras like a pro with Muzammil Ibrahim and Sheetal Mallar. With time, he’s loosened up considerably, and now he even keeps the momentum going with some gags thrown in for good measure. But his only complaint is that he’ll hardly have time catch up with his friends in the city.

“Usually when I come to Mumbai, it’s for shoots. Earlier, whenever I got the time, I used to head to Fire and Ice, but it’s been closed down now. Olive is another nice place to spend the evening. When Zaheer is here, I usually hang out with him, but I’ve been coming here for a long time so I’ve also got some other friends whom I go out with,” he says.

Ahem! So who is he catching up with this time around? Unfortunately, anything to do with Kim Sharma — marriage plans, her alleged showdown with lensman Vikram Bawa — is strictly off limits. So is anything to do with cricketer pals like Zaheer and Irfan with similar ‘Bollywood connections’. “No controversies boss,” he begs off.

But has he ever thought of having a shot at films himself? “Well I’m not interested in Bollywood at the moment because I’m concentrating on my game. When I finish my career, maybe then…but that’s all in the future,” he shrugs.

So is he leaving it to destiny, just like his career? After all, cricket wasn’t the only sport he loved — he’d dreamt of making it big in football, tennis and even skating.

“I’m not fatalistic but yes, as far as astrological traits go, jaisa Sagittarian hota hai vaisa main hoon — very straight forward. What I’m on the inside is what I am on the outside. I don’t hide anything.”

But then is he also the flirt most Sagittarians are held to be? He shakes his head emphatically: “That’s something I don’t agree with.” We hope that answers somebody somewhere.