IPL throwback: When Virat Kohli watched Anushka Sharma perform at opening ceremony of 2015 edition

Virat Kohli's actor-producer wife Anushka Sharma has often been spotted in the stands, supporting the superstar cricketer during international and IPL games - first as a girlfriend and later as a wife. However, not many might recall that Anushka had a significant part to play in the IPL 2015 opening ceremony.

While Kohli was captaining the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2015 edition, Anushka was among the performers at the grand opening ceremony at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. Kohli was at the stadium to watch his then girlfriend perform. Pictures and videos of the cricketer watching Anushka's performance grabbed a lot of limelight.

Kohli and Anushka got married in December 2017 in a private ceremony in Tuscany, Italy. Their daughter Vamika was born in January 2021. They became parents for a second time when Anushka gave birth to a baby boy, Akaay, on February 15 this year.

Kohli skipped the entire Test series against England to be with his wife and family for the birth of his son.

Speaking of Kohli's performance in the IPL 2015 season, he scored 505 runs in 16 innings at an average of 45.90 and a strike rate of 130.82. The right-handed batter struck three half-centuries, including a best of 82*.

The 35-year-old is the leading run-getter in Indian Premier League history. In 237 matches, he has amassed 7,263 runs at an average of 37.25 and a strike rate of 130.02, with a record seven hundreds and 50 half-centuries.

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When Virat Kohli opened up on how marrying Anushka Sharma changed his life

Over the last few years, Kohli has often spoken about the positive influence of Anushka's presence in his life.

He also openly acknowledged his wife's role in helping him overcome his elongated poor run with the bat, which saw him fail to score a hundred for more than 1,000 days.

In an interview with Wrogn in October last year, Kohli hailed Anushka:

"I have learned from Anushka how to stand by the truth when no one else is willing to believe you or even listen to what you have to say.

"She always told me, 'you know if you are standing by the truth, then you don't have to worry about anything because the path will carve itself out, and things will always be clean and separated'."

Meanwhile, Kohli returned to India on Sunday, March 17, to join the RCB franchise ahead of the IPL 2024 season. According to reports, he was in London for the birth of his second child.