Though he's just got done with the celebrity cricket league, actor Suniel Shetty is hungry for more sporting action. He will now be seen promoting hockey in an upcoming league. "Hockey has brought so much glory to India. It's high time we did our bit for this exciting game," says the He-Man of Bollywood. With the league about to get underway, Suniel talks to CS about his passion for sports:

Heart for hockey
Hockey is one sport that genuinely excites me other than cricket.  It is the game that gave us all our sporting legends in the 60s and 70s. I will be honest about the fact that I didn't follow hockey in-between, but when ex-India ace Dhanraj Pillay asked me to support this sport, I just couldn't say no. Now, I have started following the sport religiously. Our aim is to create more heroes in hockey for youngsters to emulate. And I am confident that India will do well in the Olympics this year.

On a different field
Playing in the celebrity cricket league was a fantastic experience. We had a crowd of over one lakh at every match. My team, the Mumbai Heroes made me the captain of the team. I guess it was because of my age (laughs out loud). I think actors like Riteish (Deshmukh), Aftab Shivdasani, Bobby Deol and Raja Hassan would have made brilliant cricketers. In fact, Bobby is one of the best batsmen I have seen. It felt wonderful bonding with so many actors from all over India.

Sporting glory
As a kid, I was a good sportsman representing my school in cricket, table tennis and athletics. Later, I took on martial arts, which helped me make my career in Bollywood. Though people had written me off as an actor, it was my knowledge of martial arts that got me 30-40 films as an action hero. So, whenever I am called to support sports, I never say no. I have travelled to the interiors of Maharashtra to support kabaddi, to Haryana for boxing and so on.

For the parents
I have also encouraged my children to play sports. My son, Ahaan plays soccer while my daughter Athiya is a good volleyball player. They also love swimming. I believe that sports teach you more than classroom education. In an age, when children are suffering from diabetes and obesity, sports should be made compulsory in schools. If parents just take sports for that five extra marks in academics, then it's really sad.