Mumbai, Nov 20 (IANS): Actor Saqib Saleem wanted to be a cricketer while growing up. Now, he is giving a finishing touch to his performance in the upcoming cricket-based film "83".

"Doing '83' was almost like an act of fate. I grew up playing cricket, wanting to go pro. I played state level U-19 cricket, but that was that. When I decided to become an actor, I knew that life was going to take a whole new path. When I heard about Kabir (Khan) sir casting for '83', I chased him to ensure that I was able to at least audition," said Saqib.

He also has a solid connection with the character he plays -- the Man of the Match of the 1983 World Cup final -- Mohinder aka 'Jimmy' Amarnath.

"Mohinder Amarnath was my father's favourite cricketer. I remember hearing some of the legendary stories from my dad when I was young. He was always an icon in my mind. When '83' happened, I was most excited to tell my dad, because not only was I getting to play him on screen, I was also going to be learning and training with the man himself. And when it all came to life, I truly felt like I was having an out of body experience," said the actor.

Interestingly enough, Saqib has another connection with Mohinder Amarnath. They had worked together for the 2016 film "Dishoom" in which Saqib played a young cricketer and Amarnath played himself as the coach of the team.