Former India captain Virat Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma, on Tuesday, announced the birth of their second child, Akaay. Following the big announcement on social media, batting legend Sachin Tendulkar penned a beautiful note on X (formerly Twitter) as he congratulated the couple.
Kohli and Anushka shared a post on their respective social media handles, welcoming Vamika’s “little brother”, Akaay, and also requested for privacy at this moment.
“With abundant happiness and our hearts all of love, we are pleased to inform everyone that on 15th February, we welcomed our baby boy Akaay & Vamika’s little brother into this world! We seek your blessings and good wishes in this beautiful time in our lives. We request you to kindly respect our privacy at this time. Love & Gratitude. Virat & Anushka,” read the Instagram post.
Former India cricketer Tendulkar later took to X to congratulate Kohli and Anushka on the “precious addition” to their beautiful family.
He tweeted: “Congratulations to Virat and Anushka on the arrival of Akaay, a precious addition to your beautiful family! Just like his name lights up the room, may he fill your world with endless joy and laughter. Here’s to the adventures and memories you’ll cherish forever. Welcome to the world, little champ!”
Kohli and Anushka tied the knot in 2017 and became parents for the first time in January 2021 with the birth of Vamika.
Kohli, who was in the midst of an away series in Australia, had taken a break from cricket to be with Anushka at the time of Vamika’s birth. The star India batter flew back home after the end of the first test in Adelaide in the 2020/21 series. Back then, the couple had already announced Anushka’s pregnancy before Kohli’s tour to Australia, unlike this time when they decided to keep the news away from the media.
Kohli’s post thus reveals the “personal reason” behind his absence from the five-match England Test series at home. He was initially part of the 17-man squad for the first two matches and also travelled to Hyderabad for the opener before pulling out citing that “certain personal situations demand his presence and undivided attention.” While he was expected to return for the final three matches against Ben Stokes and his men, he remained unavailable. It was the first time ever that Kohli missed a home Test series since making his debut in the format in 2011.
Kohli, who last played for India in the T20I series against Afghanistan at home last month, is expected to return to action in the IPL 2024 season for Royal Challengers Bangalore. The tournament will be crucial for the batter in gearing up for the T20 World Cup in June.
