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Actor Aparshakti Khurana: It’s a less than 24-hour trip to Sri Lanka just for the Indo-Pak match
Actor Aparshakti Khurana says, the India and Pakistan face-off, to be held as part of the Asia Cup 2023, cannot be called a match. It is an emotion for him.
Aparshakti Khurana is taking a break from his packed schedule to take a quick trip to Sri Lanka to watch the much-awaited India-Pakistan match for Asia Cup, and he admits that it was something he could not have missed at any cost. “When it comes to defining the craze between India and Pakistan match, it can’t be called a match. It is an emotion. It is a festival which doesn’t happen very often,” says Aparshakti, adding, “It is funny how you are able to take out time for things that matter. Sports brings out the best in me and cricket is really close to my heart, and it can’t get bigger than the India vs Pakistan game. So, I am all set for Sri Lanka.”
While one expects such trips to turn into holidays and quick getaways, the 35-year-old shares that it’s not some generic touristy trip. “It’s a trip for less than 24 hours and I’m super duper excited. And my decision to go to another country for less than a day speaks volumes about the fact that how excited I am to watch the match live... I land in Colombo and straight away drive to the stadium to watch the match and the moment the match finishes, I head back to the airport. So, I’ve taken a day’s off only for this match,” says the Jubilee actor, who is cheering for Virat Kohli and is accompanied by a school friend from Chandigarh.
Recalling the time when he went to Lahore to watch a match with his brother Ayushmann Khurrana, the actor narrates, “I have grown up watching cricket matches in the stadium. There was an India vs Pakistan test match about 18-19 years ago in Lahore. We went to see the match and it was a five-six day trip.”
That being said, Aparshakti is not fretting about the result of the match, and just cheering for his country.
“We have emotions attached when it comes to a big game like this, but we need to understand that at the end of the day, it is a game of cricket. One team has to win and one team has to lose. We haven’t really understood the true idea of being a fan of the Indian cricket team or any Indian team which is wearing a blue jersey for any sport,” he muses.
At the risk of sounding cliche, Aparshakti says that the team needs their people more when they lose. “So, I am just going to enjoy the match. I wouldn’t say that I will be upset or heartbroken if India loses. I will be proud that this team made me come all the way from Mumbai to Sri Lanka just to watch one match because that’s the kind of respect, love and craze I have for the sport and the Indian cricket team,” he wraps up.
