Cricket in India is a religion. It is followed by millions and thousands who aspire to don the Indian jersey one day. When the Indian cricket team takes the field, fans throng the stadiums, and families are glued to their television screens. Indian cricket stars command incredible popularity in social, digital, and print media. They are also part of multi-million-dollar endorsement and brand ambassador deals. The other profession that affords this level of glamour and limelight in India is filmmaking. Actors and actresses have a following that matches the cricketing stars. Films is often considered the other religion in India which unites the country.
Therefore, as a logical arrangement, there have been instances of film stars and cricketing personalities coming together for various activities. With the advent of IPL, the two professions have been married. There are also instances of personalities from these two professions involved in romantic relationships. There are numerous instances where Indian cricketers have had romantic relations and gone on to marry Bollywood film stars. We look at the 5 most prominent couples from these two professions.
1. Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma
The first names that come to the minds of people when they here personalities involved from film and cricket background, includes Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma. He is the captain of the Indian cricket team and is one of the most talented cricketers to have played for the nation. Anushka Sharma, too, is an extremely popular and well-respected actress of today’s generation. The two had a long courtship period before tying the knot in 2018 in Italy. The two of them are extremely popular among the youth and have excelled in their respective fields. They are arguably the biggest power couple in the country today.
2. Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and Sharmila Tagore
Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi or fondly referred to as Tiger Pataudi because of his fearless leadership, captained India in 40 Tests when he was named the skipper at the young age of 21. Under him, India won their first overseas Test against New Zealand in 1967. In 1969, he got married to Sharmila Tagore and they have two children. Both their children, popular actors Saif Ali Khan and Soha Ali Khan, followed Sharmila Tagore’s footsteps. Sharmila Tagore has worked in the Hindi and Bengali film industries and is the recipient of two National Awards.
3. Harbhajan Singh and Geeta Basra
Harbhajan Singh or popularly called Bhajji by fans and teammates is one of India’s most premier spinners. He has played more than 100 test matches for India with 417 scalps and is also a world cup winner. He married his longtime girlfriend, actress Geeta Basra in October 2015 in an event in Jalandhar. Geeta Basra has worked in 5 Bollywood films and a solitary Punjabi movie.
4. Yuvraj Singh and Hazel Keech
Arguably India’s best-limited overs all-rounder in this millennium, Yuvi was one of India’s most flamboyant and stylish cricketers. He was the man of the tournament for his incredible contributions with the bat and ball in the 2011 ODI world cup win. Yuvraj fought cancer and returned back to the cricket pitch in 2012 which is a testament to his fighting spirit. He married Hazel Keech in November 2016. Keech is British by birth and came to Mumbai in 2005 when she received modeling and acting offers. She has been part of a few Bollywood and South Indian movies where she has played supporting roles or performed in item numbers. It is stated that Yuvi and Hazel started dating sometime in 2014.
5. Zaheer Khan and Sagarika Ghatge
Khan was India’s best swing bowler under Ganguly and Dhoni’s captaincy. He played 92 tests for India in which he picked up 311 wickets. He was also the highest wicket-taker in the 2011 ODI world cup. He married Sagarika Ghatge, a film actress, in November 2017. Ghatge made a smashing debut in Bollywood with the blockbuster Chak De India. Her role was greatly appreciated. Post that she has acted in 6 movies in various languages. Ghatge and Khan have kept their relationship private and very sparsely divulged details of their personal life to the public.
