Patna, March 31: Bhojpuri actor-singer Manoj Tiwari, egged on by the World Cup fever, has decided to build a temple dedicated to the cricket team if India lifts the Cup.

After India won Wednesday’s semi-final tie against Pakistan in Mohali, Tiwari told The Telegraph about his decision to construct the temple at his native village, Atarwaliya, in Kaimur district.

Tiwari said: “I have decided to build a temple dedicated to Team India if we win the final in Mumbai. The thought struck me at the beginning of the Cup. The temple, which will be named — In the Memory of Cricket World Cup 2011 — will have statues of the playing XI.”

On the proposed project cost, the actor said: “The temple will be made at an estimated budget of Rs 30 lakh. Special artists have been called from Jaipur as the statues will be made from the finest marble that is only available there. Artists from Jaipur are supposed to be the best when it comes to giving finishing touches. The structure of the temple will be different from the usual. There will be a giant bat and ball statue atop a tomb that would be visible from even 1km away.”

On the formalities, Tiwari said: “The paperwork has been completed and I don’t need to worry about the land as the temple will be built on my own land.”

He added: “Work on the temple will start within 10 days of India winning the World Cup. An interior designer will be brought in from Mumbai to decorate the temple. This is my way of cheering our team. A havan and puja will also be performed for Sachin and Yuvraj and I have separate plans for the player who will be adjudged the Man of the Tournament.”

Tiwari said his plan for a temple is very normal down in the south India, where fans often construct temples after film stars.

“This is very common in south India where one will find several temples constructed by Rajnikant fans as they love the star very much. That’s the same for me in the case of cricket. This is my madness and you have seen this earlier when I composed a song on Dhoni and his style of batting. I was a cricket player when I studied at Banaras Hindu University. Though now I am a singer and actor, I always regret not becoming a cricketer.”

Tiwari promises to finish the temple within six months of India’s win. He said: “Most probably, I will invite Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and Team India captain M.S. Dhoni to inaugurate the temple.”

Meanwhile, Tiwari has made it a point to catch the Mumbai final at home. He said: “I will watch the match at my home as I don’t like to go out on such an occasion. It is better to watch the match with my wife and children.”