Amroha, Dec 23(DC): Amid the growing debate on Lord Hanuman's identity, former Indian cricketer has said that the lord was a sportsperson who is worshipped by many sportspersons even today. Chetan Chauhan also added that Lord Hanuman's caste should not be discussed.

"I believe that he (Lord Hanuman) was a sportsman who used to wrestle with his enemies. All the sportsmen of our country worship him as they require power and energy like him to emerge victorious. The players do not worship him because of his caste. There is no caste of a Saint. There is no caste of a mystic and in the same way, we believe in Hanuman Ji. I consider him as God; I do not want him to get associated with some sought of caste," he told reporters in Uttar Pradesh’s Amroha on Saturday.

The row over Lord Hanuman's caste was sparked after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's comment on Lord Hanuman while campaigning for the assembly polls in Rajasthan last month.

"Bajrang Bali (Hanuman) is such a god that he is a forest-dweller, lives in the mountains. Dalits, deprived, he takes everyone along, from east to west, north to south, and unites them all," Adityanath said.

Soon after, a number of spiritual as well as political leaders have put forth varying versions of Lord Hanuman's identity.