Apart from the leaked pictures of Shah Rukh Khan undergoing a massive transformation to look bold yet dashing for his upcoming movie ‘Jawan’, which is all set to hit the theatres from the 7^th of September, another picture of the ‘Jawan’ of the Hindi film industry, which has been able to draw in most of the attention of his fans, the media and the general public was his recently shared photo on several social media accounts, where it could be seen that he was holding the trophy, which is meant for the International Cricket Council (ICC) One Day International (ODI) World Cup tournament, which is going to be conducted soon. The picture has shown the ‘King Khan’ of the Hindi film industry looking at the golden trophy, with his eyes and entire face made in the iconic ‘King of Romance’ pose as if the thing opposite to him is not just a trophy but rather any of his heroines. There was that iconic ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ smile on his lips, which almost all of his fans, especially, the female fans, as usual, have gone crazy once again.

An Ardent Enthusiast of Cricket

Apart from being the ‘King of Romance’ and a classic actor in the literal sense of the word, Shah Rukh Khan is also known for his extreme love and devotion towards the game of cricket. On several occasions, he has openly described himself as a big fan of cricket, who would meticulously watch every game that is being played. He has even claimed that if he fails to watch any match due to his busy schedule of shooting and attending several promotional events, he would make sure that he catches up with the progress of the match through the internet or news articles, especially, if India is in the match. Some of his movies portray the spirit of a sportsman such as that ‘Chak De India’, where he portrayed the famous hockey coach of the women’s hockey team of India, Kabir Khan and ‘Dilwale’, where he portrayed the role of a cricketer, who has retired from his sport, he has never failed to present himself before us as an ardent enthusiast of cricket and sports in general. His unmatched love for the game has earned him the sobriquet ‘Cricket Addict Khan’ from his fans and the general public. His enthusiasm about the sport has forged a strong relationship between him and the game, which is evident from the fact that he is the owner of one of the most prestigious teams, the Kolkata Knight Riders, also known as the KKR, in the franchise of the Indian Premier League (IPL) game. He is also a proud owner of several other teams in other T20 Leagues such as the Caribbean Premier League, Major League Cricket and the UAE’s ILT20 League cricket. Therefore, the picture of Shah Rukh Khan with the ICC ODI World Cup trophy is proof of his image as an important icon of cricket in India as well as all over the world. The picture that was posted by the International Cricket Council was captioned “King Khan #CWC23 Trophy It’s nearly here …”.

Knock Knock, Who is there? It is the ODI World Cup

Since it has been incepted in the year 1975, the One Day International, commonly known as the ODI World Cup Tournament, has become the most highly regarded tournament in the world of cricket and sports. The trophy represents excellence in the game of cricket in the format of the One Day International. Over the year, this world cup has felt the touch of several legends of cricket from various nations, which play cricket. It has witnessed iconic moments of victory, extreme pleasure and even moments of massive heart-brakes for many years now. It has seen several legends being formed and several of them being destroyed on the grounds of cricket. This has also seen several names being etched on the list and as well as being removed from the list at the same time. India still basks in the glory of winning the trophy for the first time, when the then cricket team of India, captained by Kapil Dev, clinched the trophy in the year 1983 and when India again won it for the second time in a miraculous turn of events in the year 2011 under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

This time the One Day International World Cup tournament would be held from the 5^th of October onwards till the 19^th of November with ten teams, which would be pitted against each other to ensure a massive war. The host country will be India. The campaign will begin with India taking a tour against the Australian team on the 8^th of October with the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and his team playing against the arch-rivals Pakistan in the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmadabad on the 15^th of October. The world cup is currently on a tour to be viewed and touched by the great legends and currently playing teams of all the nations that are playing cricket actively. After the tour finally gets concluded, the world cup will be returned to India and finally, the long wait would be over with the greatest game of all times beginning on the holy cricketing soils of India.

The ‘Dhamakedar’ Schedule

The game would be kickstarted with the opening match being played between the two most popular teams of England and New Zealand or the Kiwis. However, what fans all over the world, especially in the countries of India and Pakistan, are waiting for is the most awaited game between the countries of India and Pakistan, which is a big celebration in itself. On the 13^th of October, however, the Australian cricket team will have to bear the brunt of the cricket team of South Africa in Lucknow. His would be a life-changing game for them as the previous edition saw the dramatic ending in the favour of the Rainbow Nation. Pakistan, before gearing up for its battle with India, will try to beat the Australian cricket team on the 20^th of October in the city of Bangalore, while the English cricket team will have to tackle the Rainbow Nation on the next day in Mumbai. While the cricketing team of the Down Under will try to shoot down England on the 4^th of November in Ahmadabad, India is gearing up for its big-time war with Pakistan after avenging its 2019 defeats in the semi-final with New Zealand on the 22^nd of October at Dharamsala, which is the highest cricketing stadium of the world. Till then let the anticipation be enjoyed.