Bollywood King Shah Rukh Khan Cheers Team India to Victory !

As the Indian team celebrated the historic Twenty20 World Cup win, SRK exulted with uncontrollable joy.

Indian Film Superstar 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 and a indigo T shirt, 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 De…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.


N.K.Deoshi, ApunKaChoice

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Is it the 'Chak de' magic?

September 24: Third time in a row, it is Chak de for India. First it was football, then hockey and now cricket.

This time around the Men in Blue rocked the shores of South Africa in the just concluded inaugural Twenty20 World Championship. Team India beat Pakistan in the grand finale on September 24, a day that will be remembered in cricketing history.

It was a nail-biting encounter as the two teams fought with all their might to clinch the coveted title. But as luck would have it, the trophy went into the hands of the Men in Blue after the ball went into the hands of Sree Santh. In fact, the tournament was a big challenge for new Team India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his young brigade.

So as young guns brought back India's lost pride after a humiliating first round exit from the World Cup in the Caribbean.

Indian Film actor Shah Rukh Khan, along with his son Aryan, was present to grace the occasion and spell his good luck charm. Well, he is the latest sporting icon for India after the release of his film Chak de India . The film looks like a good omen for Indian sport stars.

It all started with the Indian football team creating history after lifting their first ever Nehru Cup title with a 1-0 win over a 10-man Syria in a tough final played in Delhi on August 29, 2007. The victory spurred a resurgence of football in India.

Undoubtedly the win was a return of sorts of the hit movie Chak de India , in which the Indian women's hockey team comes from behind to claim the World Cup.

The next big win for Indian sport came on September 9, 2007. And this time the game that brought laurels to our country was the national sport, hockey. Amidst a roaring crowd, the Indian hockey team did something they last did four years ago - of winning a major multinational tournament - and this time it was the Asia Cup. India retained Asia Cup beating South Korea 7-2 in a hard fought final in Chennai. Not just the convincing win, but the Indian hockey team also added another feather to its cap. Its tally of 57 goals in the event became the highest for any team.

Truely, a Chak de performance by the sporting sensations.

It looks like the stars are shining for Indian sport. As the year is drawing to a close, the match winning performances of India's sporting sensations have taken the nation to a realm of success following a never-ending exhilaration.

The title song of Chak De India is a big hit and overall the movie itself has spread its magic across all sport in India. As the adrenaline is running high with India's seemingly never-ending successes, it's time to say again Chak de India .


Divya Kalra, TimesOfIndia

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Shah Rukh Khan did a Chak de India at the Wanderers in Johannesburg as he watched the match and embraced the Indian team after their victory.

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif said it was the film Chak de India and actor Shah Rukh Khan's presence that inspired Dhoni and his men to victory.

Coach Khan was in the VIP lounge with his equally cricket savvy son Aryan, cheering for their favourite team right through the nail-biting finale.

From giving the cricketers his love to egging them on, Shah Rukh thoroughly enjoyed the match.

"It really was Chak de India. I am glad that my son and I became part of history. It was an exciting match and we played a strong team," said Shah Rukh.

Going by the excitement it created amongst the players, they were more than happy to exchange a jadu ki jhappi with the man who made hockey a household name.

NDTV-Correspondent