Virat Kohli with Anushka Sharma. (Image courtesy: anushkasharma)

New Delhi:

Some love stories are meant to be and star couple Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli’s tale reminds us of just that. Their story began on the sets of a commercial shoot after which they fell in love, got married and are now expecting a baby together. On Thursday, Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli announced the big news of their pregnancy on social media. Posting a picture of themselves, the couple wrote: “And then we were three. Arriving January 2021.” As the couple celebrates their big moment, let us look back at all the moments, both big and small, that went into the making of India’s sweethearts #Virushka – a name given to the couple by their fans.

And then, we were three! Arriving Jan 2021 pic.twitter.com/iWANZ4cPdD

— Anushka Sharma (@AnushkaSharma) August 27, 2020

Jab Virat Met Anushka

When Virat Kohli met Anushka Sharma during a commercial shoot for a shampoo brand in 2013, he was “nervous and jittery.” During an episode of the talk show In Depth With Graham Bensinger, Virat recalled his first meeting with the actress. He said that Anushka arrived on the sets wearing a pair of heels and she looked taller than him. So Virat tried to break the ice and jokingly said, “Didn’t you get a higher pair of heels?” He added, “Then she was like ‘excuse me’ and then I was like ‘no, I am just joking’. My joke became such a weird moment. I was such a fool, to be honest but she was so confident.”

Young Hearts Run Free

After months of rumours and are-they-aren’t-they, Anushka and Virat made it official in 2014, saying, “We are not hiding anything. We are two normal young people in a relationship.” The two made their first public appearance together in November 2014 when they were spotted cheering at an Indian Super League football game in Pune.

The ‘Flying Kiss’

Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma made headlines for their public PDA – an epic ‘flying’ kiss. In 2014, Virat became the quickest batsman to score 6,000 runs in ODIs after he played a match against Sri Lanka. He kissed his bat and then blew a kiss to Anushka, who was spotted sitting in the stands. Anushka responded with a standing ovation.

@KanhaJigi@SatyendrSharma
Anuska ko flying kiss,
Balla se dete virat kohali, pic.twitter.com/PaTdCQojRc

— ) (@ravindra22022) February 8, 2015

Virat’s Shout-Out To Anushka After NH10

After Anushka Sharma’s first film as a producer, NH10, released in 2015, Virat praised her with these words: “Just watched NH10 and I am blown away. What a brilliant film and specially an outstanding performance by my love Anushka Sharma. So proud.”

Just watched #NH10 and i am blown away. What a brilliant film and specially an outstanding performance by my love @AnushkaSharma. SO PROUD:)

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) March 17, 2015

The ‘Heartbroken’ Selfie

The high profile romance invited ugly reactions from the usual suspects. Anushka was repeatedly blamed and trolled each time Virat underperformed on the pitch. In a 2015 media interaction, Virat made it clear: “The stuff that happened after the World Cup semi-final, the way people reacted towards my personal life and Anushka in particular, was really disrespectful. I want to put this out in public because at the human level I was really hurt and wanted to express that for quite a long time.”

In July 2015, a lovelorn Anushka told NDTV: “He’s my very, very good looking arm candy.” Virat and Anushka’s romance sailed a smooth course through the year but in early 2016, fans noticed that the cricketer had unfollowed Anushka on social media. Rumours of a split appeared to be confirmed when Virat Kohli posted, deleted and reposted a picture he had originally captioned ‘Heartbroken.’

In March 2016, right after India reached the semi-finals of the World T20 championship, Anushka was trolled again about Virat’s pitch result. He jumped publicly to her defence. In a tweet with a picture of the word “SHAME,” Virat said: “She has always only given me positivity.” Virat’s tweet recorded the highest number of re-tweets in 2016. The post prompted talk of a reunion and, sure enough, within months the two were spotted making appearances together once again. Apart from catching up on dinner dates, Virat saw Anushka off when she left for her Budapest schedule of Sultan. Ahead of the film’s release, Anushka also treated Virat to a special preview of the wrestling drama, co-starring Salman Khan. Virat, who was busy training for an upcoming tournament in Bangalore, was in Mumbai for a few hours just for the Sultan screening. Virat also accompanied Anushka to Chandigarh for a brief while, where her 2017 film Phillaur was being shot.

Shame on people for trolling @AnushkaSharma non-stop. Have some compassion. She has always only given me positivity pic.twitter.com/OBIMA2EZKu

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) March 28, 2016

They “Wouldn’t Hide It”

In December 2016, Virat and Anushka dismissed rumours that they were getting engaged, calling the reports “false and confusing.” Virat posted tweets, which said: “We aren’t getting engaged and if we were going to, we wouldn’t hide it. Since news channels can’t resist selling false rumours and keeping you confused, we are just ending the confusion.” According to the rumours, Virat and Anushka were about to get engaged in Uttarakhand, where they were holidaying on New Year.

Welcome to #Uttarakhand@AnushkaSharma@imVkohli Hope you have memorable moments throughout your visit #VisitUttarakhand#UttarakhandTourism

— Harish Rawat (@harishrawatcmuk) December 24, 2016

Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma also arrived as special guests at Yuvraj Singh and Hazel Keech’s destination wedding in Goa in 2016.

In early 2017, Anushka denied reports suggesting her then cricketer boyfriend was producing Phillauri. In a strongly-worded tweet, she wrote: “By making such bogus claims and validating this rubbish by a so called ‘source,’ not only are you disrespecting me and the hard work I have put in over the years to be where I am, but also, all the people who have worked on this film.”

Putting to rest some rumours that have been doing the rounds for some days now pic.twitter.com/bqS498U1tC

— Anushka Sharma (@AnushkaSharma) February 10, 2017

For Virushka, Every Day Is Valentine’s Day

In February 2017, Virat’s Valentine for Anushka went insanely viral. Posting a picture with Anushka, Virat Kohli wrote: “Every day is a valentine day if you want it to be. You make every day seem like one for me.”

The Fairytale Wedding

Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli got married at a countryside resort in Tuscany in a private ceremony in December 2017 after dating for several years. They kept it quiet right upto when they were spotted at the airport, flying out with their family and friends in tow. For her wedding, the actress wore a pale pink embellished lehenga, designed by Sabyasachi. The couple later hosted grand wedding receptions in Mumbai and Delhi, which saw the convergence of several Bollywood and cricket stars.

Anushka And Virat: “Fasting Partners”

In 2019, Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli shared pictures from their Karwa Chauth celebrations and revealed that both of them were partners in fasting for the day. “The ones who fast together laugh together,” Virat Kohli wrote while tweeting a picture with wife Anushka Sharma.

The ones who fast together laugh together . Happy karvachauth pic.twitter.com/7KQXp0Jkcc

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) October 17, 2019

Anushka-Virat’s Lockdown Diaries

Well, yes, they were making a baby but  Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli also kept their fans updated on their lockdown life this year by sharing snippets from their quarantine diaries, which involved styling each other’s hair, games of Monopoly and watching the Anushka-produced web-series Paatal Lok.

Congratulations, Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli.