Khushbu has signed up to promote the Australian Footy League in India.
Both Khushbu and Usain Bolt are footy fans and have been granted honorary membership of the Richmond Tigers Footy Club which is part of the Australian Footy League (AFL)!
Footy for the uninitiated is a mix of football and rugby and has its own rules of the game.
Speaking to The News Minute, Khushbu said, "Yes, the news is true. I will be promoting AFL in India. We will be spreading the message of how important sport is. Here, people are now interested in all kinds of sport. It's no longer only about cricket. Badminton, kabbadi, basketball, volleyball...all kinds of sport are attracting attention."
Khushbu notes that footy may not be entirely alien to India.
"If you watch the footy matches, you'll realise that it's a lot like the games people play in villages in India. It's got a lot of physical activity and competition," she says. "It's going to catch on in India and I'm happy to take it forward."
The AFL will involve Indian players, too.
Khushbu says, "That's the main reason why I want to be a part of this. We have a lot of talent that is not brought out. When we talk of sport, it's only been cricket for so long...we need to get people from the villages and other parts of the country to participate. There are many players in the country who have the capability to do well and we will be promoting them."
Khusbhu adds that the AFL will also invest in training players.
"I'm a sports freak. So when I went to Australia last October, there was a footy match going on - which was like the rugby we see in Europe. Everything in the place was closed - the schools, colleges, public offices - because it was a final," says Khushbu, recalling the passion that the local people had for the sport.
As a sports fan, she believed that this is a game that would catch the imagination of the Indian public, too.
Asked when the AFL will be introduced in India, Khushbu says, "I will be going to Australia in May and we'll have a discussion then."
Khushbu is the only Indian celebrity, as of now, who will be promoting the AFL in India.
http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/what-do-khushbu-and-usain-bolt-have-common-footy-58064
