Posted:
16 years ago
Shah Rukh Khan cheers team India to victory
24th Sept 2007 23.02 IST
By N. K. Deoshi
Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan was constantly cheering the Indian cricket team on its way to victory in the finals of the Twenty20 tournament against Pakistan.
The New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg was not short of energetic Indian fans who waved Indian flags and shouted slogans to cheer the men in blue in the crucial match against Pakistan.
But one man who stood out among the Indian supporters was Shah Rukh Khan, who watched the match along with his son Aryan from the stands. SRK, wearing a black suit, constantly clapped when a dot ball was bowled from the Indian side and stood from his seat in joy whenever a Pakistani wicket fell.
In the final overs, when Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq looked dangerous and the match seemed slipping away from India's grip, SRK stood in the stands and gave a thumbs-up sign to Indian captain MS Dhoni in the field.
That was just a moment before the wicket of Sohail Tanvir, who had hit two sixes, fell and optimism returned to team India.
That was also the moment the DJ played a few lines of the song Chak Deβ¦Chak De India from SRK's recent release Chak De India .
Words are not sufficient to describe what happened after that. A billion hearts erupted in joy as Haq flicked bowler Joginder Sharma's ball into the air and Sreesanth caught it.
As the Indian team celebrated the historic Twenty20 World Cup win, SRK exulted with uncontrollable joy.
Later, SRK went to congratulate the players on the field. SRK hugged each player individually. Harbhajan Singh, who was completely ecstatic, lifted SRK up when the superstar hugged him.
SRK was heard saying to his son: "They (the Indian players) are the true superstars".
Well said, SRK.
And a million congratulations to team India from us. You've made us proud.