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In India, the two primary sources of entertainment for a majority of the population are cricket and Bollywood. Only a cricket match or a blockbuster movie has the power to stop the clock in this country.
The popular entities from the two fraternities have a huge fan following. Also, the association between a cricketer and a Bollywood actress proved to be successful when it comes to marriage.
Further, the union of the two personalities has garnered substantial attention in the media.
Today, let’s have a look at the Indian cricketers who married Bollywood actresses:
1. Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and Sharmila Tagore
Tiger Pataudi was one of the youngest players to captain India in Test cricket. Pataudi met actor Sharmila Tagore in an after-party in Delhi back in 1965.
The union of the Pataudi and Tagore families was opposed by many. Despite the religious differences, their union proved to be successful after Pataudi tied the knot with Sharmila in 1969.
2. Mohammad Azharuddin and Sangeeta Bijlani
One of the most successful Indian captains, Mohammad Azharuddin, met former Miss India Sangeet Bijlani during an ad shoot in 1985 and fell in love at first sight.
The two took the vows in 1996. However, their marriage did not last long, as the two went their separate ways after filing for divorce in 2010.
3. Harbhajan Singh and Geeta Basra
Joining the bandwagon, the Turbanator, Harbhajan Singh, fell for Bollywood actress Geeta Basra, who starred in movies such as ‘The Train’ and ‘Dil Diya Hai’. The Punjabi couple got married in a grand ceremony on October 29, 2015, in Phagwara, 20 km outside Jalandhar.
4. Yuvraj Singh and Hazel Keech
When it comes to associations between Bollywood actors and cricketers, even Yuvraj Singh did not fall behind. After a failed affair with Kim Sharma, Yuvi fell for ‘Bodyguard’ actress Hazel Keech.
After initially denying it, Hazel finally appreciated Yuvraj’s effort, and the two eventually married in November 2016.
5. Zaheer Khan and Sagarika Ghatge
After having an affair with actress Isha Sharvani, former Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan married ‘Chak de India’ sensation Sagarika Ghatge in 2017. The duo from Mumbai has been happily living after ever since.
6. Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma
‘Virushka’ was the talk of the town for several years since the lovebirds met during an advertisement for ‘Head and Shoulders’ back in 2014. Anushka came into the limelight with Yash Raj’s ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’ and has given her audience several blockbusters since then.
After dating for a while, the two finally took vows in a private ceremony organized in Italy on December 11, 2017. Also, the power couple has been the most talked about and a high-profile association between cricket and Bollywood in recent years.
7. KL Rahul and Athiya Shetty
KL Rahul is the latest entrant in this unique. He first met Athiya Shetty through a common friend in February 2019. After seeing off each other with a couple of meetings in Mumbai, they made their relationship official on Instagram in December 2020.
Athiya also accompanied Rahul on various tours when the right-handed batter was on national duty.
The lovely pair finally got married in a private ceremony at Sunil Shetty’s farmhouse in Khandala on January 23, 2023.
