Pankaj Tripathi on how 83 made him a cricket fan

Pankaj plays Man Singh, manager of the Indian cricket team back then. “You’d think who doesn’t like cricket in India? Well I didn’t but I was drawn into by the game when I started shooting for this film. Everyday I would see these boys Ranveer (Singh), Saqib (Saleem), Tahir (Raj Bhasin) and others working so hard. They were being trained by the legends of the sport,” said Pankaj. “It was at the boot camp when I interacted with the players of the original team that I was in awe. When I said yes to the film, it was because the story resonated with me. A team that no one had any hopes from went on to win laurels for the country. It is the spirit of the story I couldn’t shake off and now it’s also the spirit of the game I can’t get out of my system. Now I have started watching matches and India’s recent victory makes me personally proud and happy,” he added.