‘Blessed’: Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma announce birth of baby

Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma has given birth to a baby girl, her husband and captain of the country’s national cricket team, Virat Kohli, said Monday, declaring that the couple was beyond blessed to start “this new chapter of our lives.”

Kohli, who shared the news on Twitter, said both the baby and Sharma were healthy.

“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,” Kohli said in a statement.

Former cricketer RP Singh, badminton ace Saina Nehwal, and actors Angad Bedi and Rakul Preet Singh were among the first to congratulate the couple on becoming parents.

RP Singh welcomed Kohli to the “Father’s club”, adding “the greatest feeling of being a dad is even sweeter” when the first baby is a daughter.

Sharma, who is also the co-founder of the banner Clean Slate Filmz, had a great 2020 work wise as two of her productions — Netflix film Bulbbul and Amazon Prime Video web series Paatal Lok — garnered favourable reviews from both audiences and critics.

As an actor, she last appeared in the 2018 film Zero, alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif.

Regarded as one of the best contemporary batsmen in the world, India cricket captain Kohli was recently granted paternity leave by the BCCI after the first Test against Australia.

AGRA: Hearing of the Sri Krishna Janambhoomi case -- wherein some appellants have sought removal of the Shahi Masjid, adjacent to the Shri Krishna temple complex in Mathura, and transfer of 13.37 acre land to the deity, Bhagwan Sri Krishna Virajman -- could not take place on Monday because of a condolence meeting in Mathura district court for the death of a lawyer. The petition to remove the masjid was filed on behalf of Bhagwan Sri Krishna Virajman through next friend Ranjana Agnihotri and others. The court of district judge, Mathura, has now fixed January 18 as next date of hearing. The petitioners claim that the Shahi Masjid was built on the spot by razing a temple by then Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. However, the Akhil Bhartiya Teerth Purohit Mahasabha and the Mathur Chaturved Parishad have pitted themselves against the petitioners as they are for status quo.