India, Oct. 31 -- For an explosive first baseman who smashed a whopping 317 home runs in 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), Adrian Gonzalez holds a calm demeanour off the field. The five-time MLB All-Star recently visited India for the first time to participate in the MLBx Mumbai 3-on-3 baseball tournament, held in Mumbai recently, which aimed to introduce the sport to the cricket-loving nation. During his week-long visit, the 44-year-old says he never missed a chance to explore Mumbai's culture, food and passion for sports. "India is a place I've always wanted to come to. To come and visit and get to know the culture here, but also to be able to play the game of baseball is just amazing. I'm just excited to be here," he says. Born in Tijuana, Mexico, Gonzalez believes his journey to the major leagues can inspire aspiring Indian baseball players to dream big. "If you love a sport; or rather, if you love anything and you put your heart and effort and all your discipline into it, you can achieve it," he says, stressing the importance of practising every day. Recognising cricket's popularity in India, Gonzalez believes baseball academies can help the sport gain a foothold in the country as well. "There are similarities in the fact that there's a pitcher, hitter, and fielders. So there's a base there that you can grow from," says the former Boston Red Sox player. He adds, "I think academies are a really good way to grow the game of baseball here in India because you can almost have them side by side, where you can have the dream of playing cricket, but at the same time, you can also play baseball." Gonzalez is also eager to sample Indian cuisine, particularly its spicy dishes. "I want to try traditional dishes of India. We're here in Mumbai; I want to try the Mumbai dishes. I want to try a dish which makes me say, 'Oh, wow, that's spicy'. And it's really hard to get me to say that's spicy," he says....