(Amid news of Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma’s wedding in Italy, here’s a look at their love story through the years. This article was first published on 2 November 2017.)
Even though Virat Kohli has always kept his relationship with Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma private, media and fan speculation have made it seem like nothing has ever been under wraps. The two, who reportedly first met while shooting for a shampoo advertisement in 2013, have had a tumultuous relationship that has seen their fans extremely invested.
2014: The Honeymoon Phase
During the honeymoon phase of their relationship, both Virat and Anushka were seen visiting the other on set and during tours. After being seen together at an Indian Super League match in Pune, Anushka was spotted in the stands during multiple cricket matches in 2014. But the one that stood out from those was India’s game against Sri Lanka at Hyderabad where Virat had blown a kiss with his bat to his lady love after scoring a half-century.
And the same year, Virat had allegedly visited the actress while she was shooting for Bombay Velvet and even flew to Udaipur to celebrate her birthday.
2015: Anushka Trolled for Virat’s Performance
With the popularity of their relationship came ugly trolls who found something as petty as one poor performance by Virat Kohli a reason to attack Anushka Sharma.
2016: Not Together, Yet...
While the actress chose to mostly remain mum on the issue, the Indian skipper took to social media to shame the trolls who had been “having a go at Anushka” and attributing his poor performances on the field to the actress.
Shame on those people who have been having a go at Anushka for the longest time and connecting every negative thing to her. Shame on those people calling themselves educated. Shame on blaming and making fun of her when she has no control over what I do with my sport. If anything she has only motivated and given me more positivity.Virat Kohli on Instagram
This was in early 2016, when the couple had allegedly broken up. Virat and Anushka had unfollowed each other on Instagram and the public appearances had stopped. Yet, his gesture to speak out against trolls had been widely appreciated. And perhaps, Anushka liked it too. Because soon after, the couple were once again seen hanging out together.
2016: Happy Times Are Back Again
In December 2016, Virat and Anushka attended Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh’s grand wedding in Goa where the two were seen busting a move together.
Soon after, rumours of a ‘Virushka’ wedding started floating on the internet. However, Virat cleared all the speculation with a tweet that said, “Since news channels can’t resist selling false rumours & keeping you confused, we are just ending the confusion. We aren't getting engaged & if we were going to, we wouldn't hide it’.
2017: Year of ‘Virushka’ Appearances
Virat and Anushka celebrated Christmas together with a vacation in Dehradun and have had a pretty great 2017 so far. They’ve vacationed in New York, attended Sachin Tendulkar’s movie premier together, walked on red carpets together and even came in a super adorable ad that went viral on the internet.
And earlier this year, the cricketer with Aamir Khan appeared for a Diwali special to promote the former’s movie Secret Superstar . During the show, Virat spoke quite openly about Anushka and said: “The one thing that I love the most about her is that she’s super honest, she speaks her mind.”
Anushka has got a wonderful, warm personality. I’ve worked with a lot of actresses she’s a very wonderful and honest person like you [Aamir] said. She’s very straightforward and honest. She’s a pleasure to work with.Virat Kohli
This comfortable and compatible vibe that the couple have exuded, has once again lead to fans asking – Are Virushka getting married?
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