India's star cricketer Yuvraj Singh was awed after watching the Formula One inaugural Indian Grand Prix on Sunday, but said it would be difficult for the sport to match cricket's popularity in India as it is only an annual event.
Yuvraj, who watched the 60-lap race with fellow cricketers
Harbhajan Singh and Sachin Tendulkar, said he fell in love with the sound of the engines and did not get bored one bit while watching the race that Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel won.
"The start of the race was awesome. The sound of the cars is the most amazing thing I have ever heard," Yuvraj told IANS.
"With the response that the race got, I can safely say that F1 is here to stay in India."
When asked whether F1 could compete with the popularity of cricket in the country, Yuvraj said: "Beating cricket is tough because F1 will happen only once in a year. Had the race happened six times a year, then it would be a definitive yes from my side. Having said that, F1 is great to watch and should give Indian motorsports a huge push."
The stylish batsman said it was great to see Force India finish amongst the points in their maiden home race.
"I came to support Force India and they did a decent job with Sutil finishing ninth. I feel sorry for Narain (Karthikeyan) though, he can't do much with the car that he has."
Yuvraj will be returning to cricket soon after recovering from a finger injury he suffered in England. The southpaw is now looking forward to the Test series against the West Indies.
"It has been a while since I played. I feel fitter and fresher. I hope to do well against the West Indies."