She can ride heavy bikes and scuba dive like a professional, but actor Sameera Reddy admits that she can't hold a bat straight to save her life. However, that hasn't deterred the leggy lass from joining the Chennai team of the celebrity cricket league as their brand ambassador. The lady, who finds Australian cricketer Shane Watson "Chikna, chocolate-faced and everything a girl would want to see on a cricket field", talks to CS about cricket and cricketers:


Who: Sameera Reddy
What: Talking about cricket and her favourite cricketers
Where: In her building complex in Bandra

Cricket crazy
I must confess that cricket never interested me when I was kid nor in my teens. My dad used to watch the boring five-day long Test matches which seemed to go on and on. But the IPL got me hooked onto cricket with its 20-20 game format, glamour and high drama. It's one tournament I follow religiously. The kind of hype cricket generates in India is enough to attract women. I guess ladies love the excitement that surrounds a cricketer, which is why you see many glamorous and beautiful women getting attracted to players. It is also about power.

A scary toss to win
I find the thought of dating a cricketer a little intimidating. Trust me, there's more drama in a player's life than in a film star's. It is sometimes scary. I don't think I would enjoy the extreme excitement and constant scrutiny that follows a cricketer-actress relationship. But then, you never know. I might just fall for someone someday (smiles). A few cricketers are on my Blackberry and send friendly messages to me. But I am not going to disclose any names because it doesn't take even a proper chingari (spark) to kick off the rumour mills (laughs out loud). But there are some similarities in an actor and cricketer's life. We're both as good as our last match/film. I remember how everyone wrote off Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh) in 2010, but post the World Cup win, he was once again the heartthrob of the nation. Fame is indeed fickle!

Boys will be boys
The post-match parties are great fun. With so much testosterone packed in one room, there is bound to be some tempers fraying and flirting as well (laughs). Cricket, even if it's a galli (lane) match between two teams, is serious business. Our Chennai boys are very passionate about the game. We have a solid captain in Vishal and the rest of the team is also good. In fact, the final of the last league between Chennai and Karnataka was as intense as an India-Pakistan match. As far as the current India-Australia series is concerned, I am as upset as any other Indian fan. I think that Dhoni and his boys ought to buck up and focus on their game.

They're hot!
I am a big fan of Yuvraj Singh. He has great flair and plays from his heart. Shane Watson is another favourite. He's extremely sweet, courteous and gracious as a person. And a handsome bloke too! I had the chance to see Chris Gayle in action last year, and those blitzkrieg sixes were a treat for me. Virat Kohli has a lot of style and attitude too, both on and off the field. Lastly, Kumar Sangakkara is one of the few remaining gentlemen to play the gentleman's game.