BANGALORE: While cricketers do what they do best on field, there are other aspects of them which many of us do not know. Some of the cricketers, Thisara Perera, Dwanye Smith, Herschelle Gibbs and Scott Styris from Mumbai Indians team who took a break from their strenuous practice sessions and recently shopped at the one of the shopping malls in the city, showed what they love to do when not playing. Even as hundreds thronged to see them and wanted to pose with them, they warmly interacted with everyone present.When City Express interacted with the Sri Lankan cricketer Thisara Perera, he spoke about his passion for cricket, food and fashion. “I am absolutely excited to play for the IPL and the Mumbai Indians. Other than cricket, I love the food here. The Chinnaswamy stadium is a fantastic place to play cricket,” said Thisara. Though Thisara has visited the City before, this season the tight schedule has not given him much time to explore the city. “We visited a few places but the traffic jams in the city really put me off,” he explains.Looking dapper in an orange t-shirt and jeans with flip flops, it comes as no surprise when Thisara says his style statement is to “be casual and comfortable.”When asked if he noticed the craze for cricket among young Indians, he quips, “Yes, they are very much crazy about the game. And looking at them, we get excited too,” he smiles. Speaking further on the cricket-crazy fans in India, he said, “The excitement goes to another level altogether here. In Sri Lanka, cricket is ‘one of the number one sports’ but here, it is the number one sport. The people in Bangalore are very warm and welcoming.”Is the pressure on teams higher in a country like India, where the crowd comes in thousands to watch a match? “When the crowd gets bigger, even the excitement gets bigger,” he answers. “And the Indian fans are extremely supportive. Not just of one team, but of the other teams as well.” When asked to give some tips to youngsters, he said, “Just enjoy life and have a blast.”Besides cricket, he loves to do whatever he wants to its fullest. While he loves to shop which he has done to his heart’s content, he explores Indian cuisines. Speaking about his favourite cuisine, Thisara says “Rice and curries are my absolute favourites,” he says.
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