Anand finds IPL cheerleading funny

KEEN INTEREST: Viswanathan Anand's fondness for the on-field action is not limited to cricket alone.

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Keywords: Viswanathan Anand, Indian premier league

New Delhi: The Indian Premier League (IPL) craze seems to reaching fever pitch in India and the latest convert to it is Viswanathan Anand.

Interestingly, there is more than just the on-field action that seems to be attracting him to the IPL. His fondness for the on-field action is not limited to cricket or cricketers alone.

"Well I have been training specially during evening but I was reminded of, with all those cheerleading controversies, of an ice hockey gamer. I went to a boxing match and suddenly a hockey game broke out. So it is funny whether it is cricket interrupted by cheerleading or cheerleading interrupted by cricket," says Anand.

Fresh after winning the coveted Chess Oscar for the fifth time, Anand is now preparing to collect his Padma Vibhushan from the President in New Delhi on Saturday.

"The Padma Vibhushan is a very big honour and also I get a kick out of Rashtrapati Bhawan. I can't really describe it. You go there and you feel the majesty of the President's office. It is very nice. And there will be a lot of eminent Indian there as well. So it will be a very nice experience," he says about receiving the Padma Vibhushan.

Film fanatics may fume every time an Indian entry makes an early exit from the Oscars but when it comes to the Chess Oscars, Anand continues to shut the gates for the rest of the world.