Days after India defeated Pakistan by five wickets in the pulsating finale of the Ajay Devgn-backed World Championship Of Legends at Edgbaston Stadium, the actor penned a note on Thursday expressing his gratitude to Team India skipper Yuvraj Singh and other cricket icons like Harbhajan Singh, Kevin Pietersen, Brett Lee and Jacques Kallis.

“Dear friends, as the @worldchampionshipoflegends draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on this incredible journey with immense gratitude.... Working alongside legends like Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Kevin Pietersen, Brett Lee, Jacques Kallis and so many more has given me memories I will always fondly remember,” wrote Ajay on Instagram, emphasising how he has always been fond of cricket.

“Like many Indian brothers and sisters, cricket has always been close to my heart and if my 8-year-old self saw what I was doing right now, he’d be brimming with happiness,” wrote the 55-year-old actor, as he shared pictures of himself from the finale. The carousel also features Yuvraj Singh and Younis Khan — the captains of the two teams facing off against each other in the finals.

In his post, Ajay talked about the ‘leap of faith’ he had taken while investing in the cricket league. “I took a leap of faith and decided to dive into the deep end by starting an entire league which has been a fantastic experience, to say the least,” he recounted.

The actor went on to thank the dedicated staff who had worked tirelessly behind the scenes, and the ‘passionate viewers’ whose unwavering support had made every match a ‘spectacle’. “Thank you to each and every one of you for absolutely knocking it out of the park with the league. Here’s to many more innings together, on and off the field,” he signed off.

World Championship of Legends 2024 featured retired international cricketers from various nations including India, Pakistan, South Africa, Australia, England and West Indies. The tournament unfolded over a ten-day period from July 3 to July 13 in Birmingham’s Edgbaston.

The thrilling finale on Saturday saw Pakistan Champions opting to bat first after winning the toss. The standout performer was Shoaib Malik, who scored a crucial 41 off 36 balls. Captain Younis Khan was, however, bowled by Irfan Pathan for 7. With Yuvraj Singh as the Team India captain and Irfan Pathan at the crease, India Champions clinched the coveted trophy, finishing at 159 for 5 in 19.1 overs.

A video of Yuvraj, Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina celebrating Team India’s win with a light-hearted recreation of Vicky Kaushal’s hit Bad Newz song Tauba Tauba soon went viral on social media.

On the acting front, Ajay will next be seen in Neeraj Pandey’s upcoming romantic drama Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha, also starring Tabu, Jimmy Shergill, Shantanu Maheshwari and Saiee Manjrekar. The film is slated to arrive in cinemas on August 2.

Additionally, Ajay is set to reprise his role as Bajirao Singham in Rohit Shetty’s Singham Again, the fifth film in the filmmaker’s cop universe and a sequel to the 2014 film Singham Returns. Alongside Ajay, the film features Deepika Padukone, Tiger Shroff, Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor and Jacky Shroff.