India cricket captain Virat Kohli and his wife Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma were blessed with a baby girl in Mumbai on Monday afternoon.
Kohli, who had been on the road since IPL 2020 in the United Arab Emirates, went on paternity leave after the first Test against Australia in Adelaide to be home for the birth of his first child, report The Hindu and Indian Express.
Virat took to social media to share that the couple welcomed their first child on Monday afternoon. He added that “Anushka and the baby are both healthy.”
Virat’s statement read, “We are thrilled to share with you that we have been blessed with a baby girl this afternoon. We thank you all for your love, prayers and good wishes. Anushka and the baby are both healthy and we are feeling beyond blessed to start this new chapter of our lives. We hope that you can respect our privacy at this time. Love, Virat.”
The couple, who tied the knot on December 11, 2017, had announced the news of Anushka's pregnancy in August last year, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under Kohli, India lost the ODI series but beat Australia 2-1 in the T20Is. On Monday, Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari batted through the entire final session as India salvaged a draw in the third Test at the SCG.
Kohli's current teammates and former India cricketers took to Twitter to congratulate the couple on becoming parents.