At the same time as India were securing their stunning draw against Australia in the third test at the SCG, there was even more great news for the country to celebrate.
National skipper Virat Kohli announced on Monday night that he and Bollywood actress wife Anushka Sharma had welcomed their first child into the world – a baby girl – that afternoon.
The superstar batsman, who averages more than 50 in all three forms of international cricket, had travelled back home after the first-test defeat in Adelaide ahead of the impending arrival.
And soon after the birth he wrote on Twitter that he and Sharma, both aged 32, were “beyond blessed to start this new chapter of our lives”, thanking fans for “your love, prayers and good wishes”.
The couple, who had announced their pregnancy in August last year, married in a low-key ceremony in Italy in December 2017, defying their raging popularity in a country of more than one billion, where cricket and Bollywood are two of India’s great national institutions.
Sharma is one of the most successful and highest-paid actresses in Bollywood and has also been working on content for major streaming platforms including Netflix, while Kohli, with 27 test centuries and 43 ODI tons, is one of the best batsmen in history.
Sharma had earlier indicated she would return to working on movies in May, while Kohli will remain absent from the fourth and deciding test against Australia in Brisbane then likely be back to lead the side for their four-test home series against England starting on February 5.
