Audiences may think that the collision of glamour and cricket happened after the incarnation of the IPL, but the relationhip between Bollywood and this sport has existed for ages. From Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi to Virat Kohli, from Sharmila to Anushka, there are many names from Bollywood that have been attached with the game of cricket. Just check out these couples.
Sharmila Tagore and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi
They were the first such couple who made a connection between Bollywood and cricket. And not only that, they married when Sharmila Tagore was one of the most popular actresses and Tiger Pataudi was the captain of the Indian national cricket team. Both their families opposed the match for a while, but in the end, they got married and had a wonderful marriage unitl Pataudi’s passing away two years ago.
Anju Mahendru and Sir Gary Sobers
When the West Indian legend toured India in the 1960s, he met Anju Mahendreu and they fell in love soon after. However, Anju’s parents never agreed to their marriage and hence, both of them had to call off their relationship.
Zeenat Aman and Imran Khan
Imran Khan was popular across the India-Pakistan border and that was proven when he started dating Zeenat Aman. But perhaps because of their nationalities and other differences, they had to part ways.
Ravi Shastri and Amrita Singh
Ravi Shastri became the darling of Indian girls after winning an Audi for his superlative performance in the Mini World Cup of 1985. Amrita Singh too was very popular and they dated for a while. Unfortunately, this love story did not have a happy ending.
Neena Gupta and Sir Vivian Richards
They had a short lived love affair, but it is accepted by Nina Gupta that her daughter Masaba, who is a well known designer nowadays, is the love-child of her and Sir Vivian Richards. The affair grabbed many headlines in those days, but they both decided not to get married at the end.
Reena Roy and Mohsin Khan
An Indian actress eventually got married with a Pakistani cricketer. Even Mohsin Khan tried his luck in Bollywood by doing a movie here and there, like Saathi and Batwaara . Unfortunately, things did not last too long, as they divorced after only a few years of married life.
Sangeeta Bijlani and Mohammad Azharuddin
They met in 1996 when Azhar was at the peak of his career and was one of the most successful captains of India. Although Sangeeta was struggling in Bollywood with only Tridev as a successful film, she was still a top notch model. Azhar had to divorce his wife to marry Sangeeta, and after 14 years of marriage life, they separated in 2010.
Isha Sharvani and Zaheer Khan
They had been in a relationship for less than eight years and the marriage bells were finally starting to ring. Suddenly and unexpectedly, Zaheer Khan and Isha Shravni both called off their relationship.
Kim Sharma and Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Sing had been already a popular cricketer of the country and Kim Sharma was just an upcoming actress. Sadly, Yuvraj’s family did not like this closeness and both of them had to end things with no future together in sight.
Geeta Basra and Harbhajan Singh
Just like Zaheer and Isha, Geeta Basra and Harbhajan too were nearly married. Harbhajan even got the nod from his mother, whom he respects the most. It seemed however, their relationhip saw more downs than ups, and that was the end of that story.
Nagma and Sourav Ganguly
It is still not confirmed whether this one was actually an affair or pure media conjecture. Dada was already a successful captain of Indian cricket at the time. There was a story that an Australian player, in order to break Ganguly’s concentration, named Nagma as his girlfriend. As ridiculous as it sounds, none of the parties mentioned ever confirmed these rumours.
Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli
Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli are back on talking terms. Anushka made a call to Virat recently. The actress had immersed herself in work post-breakup from her cricketer boyfriend. Anushka and Kohli split after differences cropped up between the two. It was alleged that Kohli wanted marriage, while the actress was not prepared. Anushka wanted to focus on the work front as she is currently in her peak, while Virat felt that they were ready to take their relationship to the next level. Now in a days these two are making game- fame warmer than any other couple.