Surfing has the 'cool' that cricket lacks, says Rhodes

The world's best fielder was in the famed tourist location at Kovalam to inaugurate the country's first National Surfing and Stand up Paddle (SUP) competition that got under way yesterday.

Jonty Rhodes

Interacting with the media, Rhodes said everything about surfing is cool, from the outfits to the style.u00a0"This is a chance for India to get its youngsters interested in a sport that is thrilling and is fun, and keeps you healthy and fit," said the 43-year-old Rhodes, who is currently the fielding coach of the Mumbai Indians IPL team.

He also pointed out that he finds surfing a welcome break from the stress ofu00a0cricket. "Cricket today is more of a career, its serious business and hard work, but surfing as a sport has yet to reach those levels of competitiveness so it lets you chill and loosen up," said the avid surfer.

The competition has been organised by the Surfing Federation of India (SFI), the governing body for the sport in the country, with the support of Kerala's Department of Tourism.

The three-day event has surfing competitions and SUP races in the under 16, under 21, under 28 and over 29 categories.u00a0International surfers take part in the open category and there are separate competitions for girls.u00a0More than 100 participants from state surfing associations, clubs, surf schools and enthusiasts from around the country and abroad are taking part in the event.