Kartik Aaryan, who has been busy shooting in Wai, took some time out to soak in the cricket frenzy and celebrate India’s unbeaten run in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 with Bombay Times.

Ahead of the massive India vs Australia WC final today in Ahmedabad, positive about a historic win, the actor shares his thoughts. Excerpts…

There's no question of nervousness. There’s pure joy and excitement to see India get to the finals. We’ve had a dream run so far and it has been a historic World Cup. Be it the records we've broken and especially getting this far with only victories and NO LOSS is extremely commendable. I am super excited. It does feel like a fairy-tale.

I have already requested Kabir (Khan) sir to give us some time off from the shoot for the epic finale because that is something we cannot miss! My team and I have been shooting for the longest time throughout the world cup. But someone from my team is always updated with the match score and whenever we are between the shots, we would all watch it together. I have been following the world cup closely. I didn't want to miss watching Virat Kohli's tremendous form with the bat and Mohammed Shami's terrific bowling. The rush of watching the match with your closed ones is unmatched. My cricket fever doesn’t diminish even during hectic shoots.

I just enjoy the sport, be it playing or watching it. Even now when I get the chance, I am always game for it. On the sets of Chandu Champion whenever we get a break or a day off, we all plan a game of cricket and play together. I have so many memories attached to the game. Back in Gwalior, when we were kids, we used to play cricket on the streets a lot. I remember how everyone would get together to watch the World Cup, especially the India-Pakistan match. It felt like a festival. Everyone would be clapping and hooting and almost celebrating our fours and sixes and every wicket of the opposition. Even today, the thrill to watch our Indian players play is the same - it makes one’s heart thump with every ball. Cricket is a festival in India that everyone loves to celebrate with all their heart and spirit. Since I have been so fond of cricket since childhood, I am always star struck whenever I meet our cricket legends.

Not really but you know how it is when we Indians watch cricket with friends and family. We are so engrossed in it and want India to win every match at any cost, that if anything said or done works coincidentally in our favour, one must then follow it throughout the match (laughs). But all of this is fun and such superstitions must be treated lightly. Because no matter what we do, it is our team’s sheer hard work that produces results. They bleed blue to make us proud.

Virat's 50th ODI century was a milestone and what a proud & historic moment it was for all of us. What made this moment truly so special for everyone who has grown up loving & living cricket is the fact that Sachin Tendulkar sir himself was present at Wankhede. He’s known as the God of cricket and when his record was broken, he humbly congratulated Virat and praised him highly. That century was so memorable, even though he had cramps, he kept fighting and completed his 50th century - exceptional! K L Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, Jadeja, Bumrah are all in such a great form right now. Rohit Sharma is a phenomenal captain and finally, there are no words for Shami’s iconic bowling - the way he took 7 wickets in the semifinal, he owned the game and how. Despite missing the first 4 matches, he's the leading wicket taker in the tournament, hats off for this achievement. The semi-final match was iconic.

If we win this world cup, I am sure we will, India will celebrate another round of Diwali. Finally, 2003 WC ka badla pura ho jayega (laughs). When we had won the World Cup in 2011, I remember the streets were crowded, people were out with the national flag, celebrating on the roads with crackers and fireworks. What a moment it was! I hope to witness the same tonight. And I'm sure we will be celebrating it on our sets of Chandu Champion with the whole crew aur phir toh mere liye woh cheat meal day ban jaayega... fir se Cake kaatengey. Hope my trainers are not reading this (laughs).

Saiyami Kher is not just a cricket enthusiast, but also a cricketer who recently played the role of a bowler in Ghoomer. On the eve of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, the actress did a special shoot for us in Mumbai, where she did what she loves the most – played cricket and talked about India’s historic run in the tournament.

She shared, “Before the 2011 final, I was nervous but this time I am not. I am excited. We have been the most dominant side. Every time we were challenged, we came out stronger. 10 games on the trot! This almost feels like the 2003 Australian side. Yes, we know what Australia can do in the finals but given the kind of cricket we have played in this entire tournament, we are a much more dominant side so let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope all goes well for one last time.”

While all of us have our plans in place for today, Saiyami's are star-studded. “I am going to watch the game with Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan, Parthiv Patel, Virender Sehwag. I couldn’t have asked for a better company. I have been starstruck by cricket and sportsmen since childhood. I can’t explain how special it feels to watch the game with them and talk about the games for a show with them. This is me living my childhood dream”, she chuckles.

Which Indian fan is not superstitious, right? Saiyami adds, “We feel our superstitions make India win or lose (laughs). My superstition is wearing the 2011 India WC winning jersey, which I wore at the Wankhede when India won the WC. I felt like Dhoni hit that six to me. I feel that jersey is the lucky charm for Team India. As far as don’ts are concerned, I don’t watch the match with certain friends. I feel we always lose if they are around. Or don’t sit on a particular chair or don’t let someone else hold the remote. The list is endless.”

While there have been so many iconic moments in this WC, Saiyani picks one too. She says, “Virat’s 50 in front of the master blaster (Sachin Tendulkar) was a very special moment, one for the decades. There couldn’t have been a better written script. Glenn Maxwell’s double century was one of the finest ODI innings, K L Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Shami have been so good, but I feel the highlight has been Rohit Sharma and the way he has played. He is destructive and derails the opposition. The intent and aggression he has shown, this brand of cricket, we haven’t seen before. His attitude as a batsman and the way he has captained the team has been commendable. Monday should be a national holiday once we win, and the boys deserve a break too. To get into a bilateral series immediately after the WC can be gruelling.”

The WC has had its share of controversies too but Saiyami concludes, “Controversies, conspiracy theories will always happen. Social media adds to it. Home advantage is bound to be there but using a different coin, manipulating the pitch etc, these things are absolute rubbish.”

Having played cricket at the state level (Maharashtra women’s team), Saiyami Kher lived her dream when did starred in a cricket-centric film Ghoomer. Now, the actor “thrilled” to use her knowledge of the game as a technical host for the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

Talking about turning her dream into reality, she says, “The energy is unparalleled. When I was 12 and (host-actor) Mandira Bedi was hosting the World Cup, I was inspired to do the same. Dad and I tried to convince my mum to let me quit school for this. This has been a childhood dream.”

Elaborating on her role, Kher says, “I’m not into the fashion or food choices of the cricketers. Instead, I like to discuss the technicalities of the sport, since I’m a cricket geek.”

Sharing space with several renowned cricketers is also a matter of pride for the 31-year-old. She says, “Discussing cricket with (cricketers) Harsha Bhogle, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Shaun Pollock and Michael Vaughan, among others is exciting. I don’t see it as a pressure because this is my passion. We do pre-match analysis, talk about the game and discuss it after it’s over. It feels like friends talking about what they love.”