Himanshu Malhotra talks about his love for cricket on National Sports Day

The National Sports Day is celebrated on August 29, and Shershaah actor Himanshu Malhotra has shared his love for sports, especially cricket - Jyothi Venkatesh

"I have been playing cricket. I was a professional cricketer for so many years and then I became an actor.

I played badminton and table tennis over a period of time. I played football also, a little bit.

I love sports," said the actor, who thinks that being an athlete, you have to take care of health.

"The national sport of our country is hockey, but cricket has been termed as a kind of a religion in India.

Everyone who's been playing it, has been treated like God," added the Ek Nayi Umeed-Roshni actor.

Himanshu, who started off as an actor in mid-2000s, feels that sports other than cricket, are slightly less popular in India.

"Tennis and badminton (are popular) because of Sania Mirza and PV Sindhu. The moment we have a Sania Mirza or a PV Sindhu, we will have kids following them.

The moment we have a Shah Rukh Khan, we will have younger generation kids following him.

The idol creates a great avenue for sports, and that's what happens in our country as well.

We actually follow celebrity culture a lot. We follow heroism a lot, that's what happens," he said.