India, Oct. 25 -- Contd. from p01 C an India produce its next Rinku Singh or Dinesh Patel? Former New York Yankees star Nick Swisher certainly thinks so. The 45-year-old, who is in Mumbai for Major League Baseball's (MLB) MLBx event, believes the sport needs more Indian faces to inspire youngsters. "One of the things I've realised from being here is that it takes time for traditions. Any adjustments or changes take a little bit of time... Cricket is one of the greatest sports in the world. Obviously, it is massive here. We have had some Indian stars come over to our game, which is amazing. The movie, Million Dollar Arm (2014), really helped out," says the 2009 World Series champion, referring to the film inspired by Singh and Patel, who signed minor league contracts with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2008. "If you see somebody on television that looks like you and is from where you are, you think it's possible. So, that's one of the things that I really think we need. More Indian stars must come out, start playing a little bit more of our game, just give us that exposure, because then the young kids will look up to them," he adds. Ask him what he'd tell Indian parents who consider sports a distraction from academics, and Swisher draws from his own experience. "Athletics and sports gave me everything that I have, gave me the roof over my head, the car that I drive, the food that I eat. But once again, it's about being able to find your time. Because one of the things that I tell my high school students is if you are an athlete, you are a leader. And that means that you have to be in the front of the classroom... You're getting good grades, setting the tone." He says the same rules apply to his daughters, Emerson Jay (16) and Sailor Stevie (10): "I have two young daughters, and the one thing I preach to them is that being smart is so cool. Are my daughters athletes? For sure. But I expect them to get good grades, because if they don't get the grades, then they don't play the sport. So that would be one of the things that I would tell parents here. Continue to push your kids, but get them to push them in the right way." Meanwhile, ask him what's been his biggest takeaway from Mumbai so far, and he says, "The heart of the people that are here! That's been the nicest thing. Because whenever you go to a big city, not everybody's always crazy nice. But being able to come to Mumbai, one of the biggest cities in the world, to be able to have the love shown to us the way that we have... I could not be happier to be here."...