Mumbai: Actress Aanushka Ramesh is optimistic that bowling as a sport will gain popularity in the near future. Aanushka, who represented the Bengaluru Dragons team that won the inaugural Indian Bowling League, held in Bengaluru in August, feels the sporting scenario in the country is undergoing a sea change and non-conventional sports are getting their due.
“Cricket is already huge, even athletics, soccer, hockey, tennis and badminton are getting a huge push. And, with our recent successes at the Olympics, Paralympics and other events, sports in India have hit a purple patch. I think sports should always be encouraged. Bowling all this while has been associated with leisure but I am confident it will be catapulted to the level of a professional sport in the near future,” she adds.
Talking about the bowling league organised by the Kamar Film Factory, a premier production house in Bengaluru, Aanushka says, “It was a really unique experience because this was the first time that a bowling league was held in India. There were around eight teams representing different parts of Karnataka. Each team consisted of around 10 players, 6-7 stars of the Sandalwood film industry and 1-2 actors. It was great competing with top Kannada actors like Diganth Manchale, Raghu Mukherjee, Priyanka Upendra, Tarun Chandra and others,” says the actor, known for her Punjabi films, Mangal Ho, Canada Di Flight and others.
On her team coming up trumps, Aanushka adds, “We had an absolutely thrilling experience. After getting thrashed and losing the first match badly, our team was very disheartened. But we bounced back winning the remaining matches and lifting the winners’ trophy. It was team effort that saw us through.”
