Mumbai, Sep 20 (IANS) As excitement builds for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup India 2025, Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar has lent his voice to rally the nation behind the Women in Blue, urging fans to show the same passion and support for women’s cricket as they do for the men’s game.

Akshay Kumar expressed his sentiments in a video released by JioStar, the official broadcaster of the premier tournament for women this year..

While talking about the importance of supporting the Women in Blue, Akshay Kumar recalled his experience of watching the 2017 World Cup final and shared his emotions.

He said, “I still remember the 2017 World Cup final. I took a train from Scotland and went to the stadium to watch the final. That’s when I saw the passion of our women’s cricket team. Why did I go? Because that’s when I understood that there’s no gender in cricket. There’s only one jersey, one passion, and one team. Team India.

He added, “We usually cheer for the men’s team. But the real support will come when we cheer for our women’s team as much as we cheer for the men’s team. The real fan is the one who stands with every player, whether it’s a man or a woman. This is the sign of the real blue. ‘Jersey Wahi, Jazba wahi!'”

In the video, Akshay is also seen holding Indian Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana’s No. 18 jersey, reinforcing the idea that whether it’s Virat Kohli or Smriti Mandhana, the jersey remains the same.

India, along with Sri Lanka, is hosting the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, starting with the opening match in Guwahati on September 30. Currently, the Indian team is playing a three-match ODI series against World Champions Australia at home.

India are hoping to win their maiden ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup title at home. They had reached the final in the last edition but could not claim the title. This time, fans expect that the team will go all the way at home.

–IANS

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