Jalandhar (Punjab): His sport may not be played commonly in India but that has not dented the popularity of wrestler Dalip Singh, better known as "The Great Khali" in the World Wide Entertainment (WWE) international circuit.

He is officially part of the Punjab Police, but he lives mostly in the US.

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With Khali all set for his big fight Feb 17 - with five opponents ready to pin him down in the "No way out" ring of death in a WWE match in the US - his fans in this Punjab city are backing up their hero. T-shirts and other accessories carrying the picture of Khali have appeared in markets and shops here and are selling.

"T-shirts with pictures of WWE wrestlers have been selling in the past also but this time there is more demand for the T-shirts carrying photos of Khali. Perhaps people know about his big fight Feb 17 because of the media (news channels) coverage," points out Deepak Bambah, a shop owner here who is selling Khali ware.

T-shirts, stickers, posters and other accessories of Khali, who even has a website in his name that gives you details of his WWE exploits, are available in shops here.

"We identify with him not only because he is Indian but also because he has a Jalandhar connection. He has done proud to the country''s name in WWE," says young Khali fan Sandeep.

Khali, who originally hailed from a village in Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh, has his Jalandhar connection as he lived and worked here with the Punjab police before moving to the US to pursue a WWE career.

Khali was handpicked in the mid-1990s by the then additional director general of police (ADGP) M.S. Bhullar, himself a great sports enthusiast, to be a wrestler with the Punjab Armed Police (PAP) at its complex here. Even though Dalip Singh continues to be on the rolls of the Punjab Police, he mostly lives in the US and is now one of the big names in the WWE circuit.

Two years ago, the Punjab Police placed Khali under suspension as he failed to return and join the force after the expiry of his sanctioned leave. Later, he was given exemption and allowed to pursue WWE in the US.

Khali's spiritual guru, Baba Ashutosh, is also based in Jalandhar district and Khali visits his spiritual complex near here whenever he comes to India.