Agencies

New Delhi, Jun 17: A youngster in designer tee and jeans, and long straightened hair and a wholly different accent. That's Lalu Prasad's son so for you. Tejaswi Yadav, a member of the Delhi Daredevils and a budding cricketer with big dreams, is the Railway Minister's son, and very proud of it, too.

But he reveals his dad did try very hard to make Tejaswi look like himself. "I am stylish and I love dressing well," says Tejaswi, "Earlier, my dad was not happy with my long hair. He used to say, 'Tum apne baal chhote kyun nahi karte. Kyun na tum mere jaise baal rakho?' Now he is OK.

Many people have asked me if I have been inspired by Dhoni. The answer is no. It's my own style."

ON HIS FATHER...

But in the bigger context, there's no conflict of culture with his dad. "Whatever I am today is because of my father. I admire him for his leadership qualities," Tejaswi says.

And right now, the family is in a celebration mode. "Dad's birthday was this week and the entire family came together to celebrate it. My sister Rohini came from Singapore just to attend his birthday."

And what is his father's take on him choosing cricket as career? "He was a little hesitant when I decided to choose cricket as a career option. Dad wanted me to concentrate on my studies. He relented on the condition that I finish my studies first. But he has been very encouraging and watches most of my matches. Even during the IPL series, he was there at the Ferozshah Kotla, even though I didn't get a chance to play."

ON CRICKET...

Jacques Kallis and Michael Clarke are his idols, but Tejaswi admires Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar. "Sourav is one of the finest captains Indian cricket has ever produced. And Sachin is simply great."

And what about captain MS Dhoni? "I am proud of him because he is also from my region — Ranchi. He has earned so much fame and recognition at such a young age. But I feel that he needs to be more mature," he says.

And how is his career going? "I have been playing cricket since I was 9. I joined a cricket club after we moved to Delhi. I used to play for my school and I was also a part of U-19 (Delhi) team last year," he reveals. His brother Tej was also interested in cricket before he dropped out. "He is not playing cricket anymore. But I am focused. And while we can't be like the Pathan brothers (Yusuf and Irfan), we both love the game."

ON DEEPIKA, KATRINA & STUDIES...

Has Tejaswi ever thought of doing films? "Why not, if a good role comes my way," he says. "I love Bollywood and John Abraham is my favourite. I interacted with him once. He is a wonderful person. I'd love to act alongside Katrina and Deepika."

What about studies?

"I appeared for Class XII exam this year and got average marks. I'll get a passport to a college on a sports quota. Thank cricket!"