The unconventional link-ups of Bollywood celebs and cricketers is the trend, which has been followed from years. From Sharmila Tagore-Nawab Pataudi, Mohammad Azharuddin- Sangita Bijlani-to Virat Kohli- Anushka Sharma and Yuvraj Singh-Hezel Keech are few of the popular examples.
Zaheer Khan and Chak De India actress Sagrika Ghatge recently got engaged. The union between Zaheer and Sagarika is not the first time that a cricketer went all hearts for an actress. Over the years, affairs and marriages between ladies of the glamour industry and men of the Indian cricket team are a common thing.
Also read: Zaheer Khan engaged, Sehwag says ‘clean bowled by Hockey’, Kumble wishes wrong Sagarika
Here is a list of five other famous cricketer-actress couples
Nawab Pataudi and Sharmila Tagore:
Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi was the youngest captain of Indian cricket team and Sharmila, the diva who broke many taboos in her Bollywood career. They met through a common friend in 1965 and immediately felt a connection with each other. The true blue blood royal gave his heart to the young actress who had a modern outlook and the two got hitched on December 27, 1969. Their marriage lasted 42 years, till Nawab Pataudi breathed his last on 22 September 2011. The couple have three kids- Saif, Soha and Saba Ali Khan.
Mohammad Azharuddin and Sangeeta Bijlani:
Sangeeta and Azharuddin first met during an ad film shoot in early 90’s and kept meeting since. Back then, Azahruddin was already married to Naureen and had two kids. But he divorced his first wife and wed Sangeeta in a private ceremony in 1996. Sangeeta was Azharuddin’s rock support when the captain got embroiled in the match-fixing scandal. But their marriage ended in 2010 reportedly because of Azharuddin’s link up with Badminton player Jawala Gutta.
Harbhajan Singh and Geeta Basra
Another marriage that had hogged a lot of limelight last year was that of Harbhajan Singh and Geeta Basra. The two dated for almost eight years before tying the knot in October. Though Geeta had an uneventful career in Bollywood, Bhajji admitted falling in love with her at first sight. The couple welcomed their daughter Hinaya Heer Plaha a few months ago.
Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma:
Virat and Anushka are probably the most loved cricketer-actress couple of recent times. Both of them are at the peak of their careers and enjoy a huge fan base. Their fan following rejoices every time the two are spotted together in public. Earlier this year, there were rumours that they are no more ‘Virushka’, but the reports were quashed by the outings of the couple together. Quite recently, Anushka accompanied her man in Baroda as he rang in his 28th birthday in Baroda.
Yuvraj Singh and Hazel Keech
The fact that Yuvraj Singh always had affection towards Bollywood divas is not hidden to anyone. In his career, he was linked up with actresses like Kim Sharma and Deepika Padukone but it was model-actress Hazel Keech who got to be his wife. Telling about their love story, Yuvraj had said that it started with a friend request on Facebook. Hazel was quite convinced to not date him, and it took a lot of persuasion from his side. After meeting him, Hazel fell for his honesty and the rest, as they say, is history.
