Saqib Saleem: Cricket is not a gender biased sport

Mumbai: Cricket is not a gender-biased sport and hence should not be restricted to any single-gender, feels Bollywood actor Saqib Saleem. The actor will next be seen in Kabir Khan's "83", which is about India's triumph at the 1983 Cricket World Cup.

In the film, Saqib plays Mohinder Amarnath, who was the vice-captain of the 1983 India squad. He hosted a cricket session at a Lower Parel mall where he was seen giving cricketing tips to young girls.

Talking about hosting a cricket session for girls, the actor shared: "Cricket is not a gender-biased sport and women in our country are hugely talented. I would just want to motivate them and tell them to dream big. Who knows where we find our next Mithali Raj."

Although the actor agrees that women's cricket hasn't been promoted enough, he feels the times are changing. "It's sad but maybe back in the day they were only restricted to do household chores. Today, so many women are chasing their dreams and are truly unstoppable. The modernday woman doesn't just associate herself with running a household but making her dreams come true as well. So I hope this changes now as it's time we empower our women."

The actor also feels that it is very important to include sports in school curriculum and promote female athletes. "I think it's very important for people to recognize empowering programs for women to help them push the envelope and let them do what they really want to. Even on the educational front, I feel it should be made a part of the basic co-curricular programs in schools and colleges," he expressed.

Kabir Khan's "83" stars Ranveer Singh as Kapil Dev, who captained the Indian team at the 1983 World Cup. The film is slated to hit theatres on April 10.