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MUMBAI: During the debate over the location of this year’s World Cup and Asia Cup between Pakistan and India, an old video of Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan praising Pakistani cricketers is making the rounds on the internet.
This video was created in 2010, making it 13 years old. At the time of this interview, Shah Rukh Khan was the co-owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders, and he was discussing the pressure of being chosen for the team.
In the video, King Khan discusses Pakistani cricketers competing in the IPL, claiming that Pakistani cricketers are the best T20 players.
Shah Rukh Khan stated that I wanted to include all-rounder Abdul Razzaq in my team, but he was mentioned in newspapers [prior to his inclusion]. In the first season of the IPL, I had five players in my team, including Wasim Akram, and I was chastised because many of the players were Pakistanis.
According to Shah Rukh Khan, 11 Pakistani cricketers were shortlisted for the IPL but none were selected.
“As the owner of the ‘KKR’ team, it is a source of shame for me that, due to political tensions, we have to cut players from one country’s team, who are even the best, and hindering them from joining the team,” he said.
At the end of the viral video, he asked the young fans to keep the sport free of politics, to put an end to these hatreds, not to fuel them. Be good neighbors instead of accusing each other.
