Meet IPL hottie Rochelle Maria Rao

The former Miss India on men, saris and 'jumping jhapak'

You may probably recognise Rochelle Maria Rao, the sexy host of  Extraaa Innings during the sixth edition of IPL. The Chennai-based model and former Femina Miss India, gets chatty with Rediff.com's Prasanna D Zore on Dhoni,  Kohli, wearing silk saris and her dressing and offers make-up tips to look hot.

How did IPL happen to you?

My life has been a whole set of miracles. Miss India was just something I tried out of the blue. I gave it my 100 per cent. Because of being Miss India I got the opportunity to audition (for IPL) along with two other Miss Indias. It's always something I have seen myself doing.

You look at somebody on TV and say I'd be good at doing that and that's kind of been a vague dream of mine and it's come true.

How does it feel to have made the cut from being Femina Miss International to a cricketing event like the IPL?

It's absolutely exciting. I feel very, very blessed to be honest because I got such a huge opportunity in such a short frame of time. So I am super-excited and little bit nervous as well considering it's a live show and it's my first time.

Who is the hottest cricketer in IPL's 6th edition?

Hottest! I don't know. I don't really go for looks. I go for skills; I actually enjoy the game.

But my all time favourite is captain cool (Mahendra Singh Dhoni) because I am a CSK (Chennai Super Kings) fan. Right now, as far as Indian cricketers are concerned, I think everyone's eyes are on Virat Kohli because I think he is on his way up and he is now captaining the RCB (Royal Challengers Bangalore) as well.

So everyone wants to know and see how well he does at that. I want to see the Indian players do well.

Are you crazy about CSK?

Yes I am! But these days I have no favourites (laughs). But yes (I like) Dhoni because he has really had a good pick up in the test series as well and he has done really well in the last month. So I think he is in good form for the IPL. I love (Suresh) Raina too and Dwayne Bravo... I can go on about the whole team... you have got (Albie) Morkel... you have got so many great players.

This time I have read and learnt so much about the other teams because I have been doing so much of research that I am looking forward to see how they meet my expectation more than CSK.

If you get a chance to interview Virat Kohli what'd be your first question to him?

Right now all the young girls in the country just want to know what Virat is thinking, what his plans are and they want to know his mantra...

Will you ask him if he is single?

I know that's the big question right now and everyone's like 'Oh, I heard Virat broke up' so, I think I will keep it light and go along those lines. I'd not like to ask him too much that right now and rather hear him talk about his game.

Your wishes for Jesse Ryder who has just come out from coma after a fatal fight in New Zealand...

We have all been praying for him over the last couple of days. In fact I was with the whole team Gaurav and Sameer and Karishma a couple of days ago. I hope that he gets better soon; a lot of people are talking about his playing skills but right now we are all just hoping that he gets well to normal health and all my prayers are with him.

Will you be doing jumping jhapak (see video here) during IPL?

It's like in my head... it's the tune of my life now.

You will be doing rigorous travel during the IPL. How do you plan to keep fit then?

My fitness mantra is I like to just have a good time. I enjoy every minute, as you see even with my friends I am joking around and being silly. That's what keeps you healthy if you are in a good mood.

Apart from that I do keep an eye on my diet. The Miss India training is pretty much in my blood. I believe in eating a little bit of what you love rather than torture yourself and stick to diets that your body is not used to and you may not even like because I think if you don't eat what you like then it will show on your face and in your skin.

That's about it... the travelling will keep me fit anyway. There will be so much of work I will be sweating it out on the field. It's summer in India and I am going to be on different fields across the country.

Make up and grooming tips for young girls...

Keep it simple. Trial and error is very important. We all like to look at magazines and videos and say I want to look like Rihanna or I want to look like Katrina Kaif but it is very important to look at your own face and figure out what works for you. Look at your own figure. Keep it simple if you are young, go with bright colours that make you look young and fresh.

Try bright red colour lipstick one day, try no lipstick the next day, see what works for you, take pictures of yourself and figure it out.

How would you dress up for a wedding or an evening party?

It is very difficult to find Indian clothes that are not hot. I usually wear a lot of suits or saris. I don't really wear lehengas, unlike today where I wore a lehenga.

I think I look best in saris, so a halter blouse and a nice, bright-coloured sari.

How does one look sexy in a sari?

It is just the way you carry it as long as you are confident you can wear any kind of sari. I come from Chennai. We wear silk saris and go to weddings at 6 in the morning. You can look sexy in a sari; it's up to your confidence.

Tell us a little about your family. Will you miss them during IPL?

My dad's half-German, half-Telegu; my mom is Anglo Indian and everyone talks as much as me and we all talk at the same time. The person who I learnt the most about cricket from is my dad and my brothers.

I am not going to miss them actually because I will be doing a lot of matches in Bangalore and Chennai so I will get to see them. I have actually missed them a lot this year because I stay here in Mumbai and I really, really hope that I do my dad proud because he is most excited about this (my stint in IPL), the way my mom was excited about Miss India.