‘With people like Mallya and Zinta and corporate houses stepping in, professionalism will creep into Indian cricket’

No, not at all. I personally feel it’s a catalyst that will galvanise growth in Indian cricket. If Indian cricket has lacked something, it has always been transparency and professionalism. All these people like Vijay Mallya and Preity Zinta and all corporate houses stepping in, I think professionalism will creep into Indian cricket.

• KUNAL PRADHAN: Like in England and all other places with leagues, one saw market-forces take over the sport. Now the BCCI has done this, and the BCCI, like you said, has been a very closed body. Do you think they are aware of the market forces taking over?

Well, they don’t have the divine right to rule over everything; it’s not a monopoly. People like Mallya know how to build brands. If he can build Kingfisher Airlines, he can surely build a team. He can hire a specialist to do his job, like a coach. The passion with which a Shah Rukh Khan or a Preity Zinta comes in — well equipped and absolutely close to perfection! This is the finest fillip to Indian cricket.

When I was young, I was very shy. If my principal told me I had to participate in a debate, I’d take chutti for three days. If I scored 100 runs during my under-19 days and the press came to me, I’d be shelling bricks in my pants. The change came in 1998. I ultimately found solace in Swami Vivekananda. That’s when I started my breathing exercises and meditation. It changed my perspective: there is nothing good or bad; it’s your thoughts that make them good or bad. Your thought process is the real interpreter of your actions. That’s how I started tapping my mind — and minds are like parachutes, they function only when they are open. Once I opened my mind, I connected with my inner being. The sense of proportion, to see things in the right perspective, came right in front. Everything else just started flowing like a river.

• KUNAL PRADHAN: But when did these funny comments come into being?

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