Power dynamics being heavily skewed in favour of men in societies governed by patriarchy continue to help them in myriad ways from an authoritative standpoint across relationships. However, the bid to hold on to maintaining the very system over scores of years has also backfired at them to a point that venting out emotions and feelings is considered an exclusively “feminine” trait.
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That being said, although gradually, with women beginning to challenge the status quo and mental health issues being discussed on a much wider scale, the phrase “Men don’t cry” is also losing out on its relevance.
There is perhaps nothing more powerful with respect to bringing about a positive change in society than globally renowned celebrities opening up on such seldom talked-about issues citing personal experiences. Former India captain Virat Kohli, during an interaction with ESPNcricinfo, did open up on one such personal and overwhelming experience in the presence of his then-girlfriend Anushka Sharma eight years ago.
Not that Kohli shed tears because of a disheartening life event, it was just the sheer magnanimity of it from a career point of view which knew no other way to better express the feeling in front of his beloved.
Virat Kohli Had Cried Before Anushka Sharma Upon Receiving Test Captaincy
It was just over an hour after India had drawn the third Test match against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground that then-captain MS Dhoni had suddenly announced to retire from the format with immediate effect with one match remaining in a four-match series.
India had already lost the series after facing defeats in Adelaide and Brisbane, and the decorated skipper decided to never further don the white Indian jersey citing “strain of playing all formats” as a reason.
Interestingly, Kohli had first led India in the format at the Adelaide Oval in the same series after Dhoni was unavailable due to a hand injury. He was, thus, set to become India’s 32nd Test captain after having already skippered the side 17 times in ODIs.
For someone who had dreamt nothing more than playing Test cricket for the country, the realization of being honoured with leadership responsibility out of the blue was overwhelming for Kohli. During an interview with The Cricket Monthly in 2015, Virat had revealed how the emotions had got the better of him before Anushka.
“Honestly, I was not able to think that I am going to be the Test captain now, at that very moment. After things calmed down a bit, after about an hour and a half, I went to my room. Anushka [Sharma], who had come to watch that series, was there and I told her about the news. After a while for both of us it sunk in that I am going to be Test captain of India, not just for one or two games but permanently. And that is when I broke down, because I never expected this to happen. Honestly, if you told me when I started playing cricket that at 26 I will be Test captain of India… no chance. My only dream was to play Test cricket for India.”
Kohli led India during the final Perth Test which also had ended in a draw, with the series scoreline reading 2-0 in favour of the Aussies. While his captaincy career graph only took an upward curve from there on, he was also fortunate enough to marry the love of his life four years after their first meeting. Over the years, the star couple has given their innumerable fans quite a few “couple goals” ideas via their adorable pictures from various trips across the country and abroad.
Virat Kohli And Anushka Sharma Had Spent Time Together At A Stranger’s Home In Bhutan
One such memorable trip for the power couple was to the south Asian mountainous country of Bhutan, on the occasion of Kohli’s 31st birthday in November 2019.
Exceedingly popular in their respective fields, both Anushka and Virat have also experienced the downside of fame. Thus, be it their honeymoon trip to Finland or the one to Netherlands this year, they make sure to spend quality time together without being recognized by people.
Hence, one amidst the beauty of freshwater lake and snow-clad mountains of Bhutan was perfect for birthday celebrations. In fact, much to their delight and relief, the village populace not only were unaware of their personalities but a certain family also showered them with love and respect despite being strangers. Anushka had taken to her Instagram handle to post some adorable pictures of themselves at a home, while also reminiscing the memorable stay over a cup of tea.
“So, we went into the home of this beautiful and warm family who had absolutely no idea who we were and yet they treated us with such warmth and love. We spent some time with them chatting and drinking tea and the whole time they just know us as two tired trekkers! Whoever knows Virat and me very closely, know that both of us live for such moments of genuine, simple & pure human connection. It fills us with such joy and peace knowing that they just wanted to be kind to two random foreigners (plus our guide) without seeking anything in return. If this is not the true meaning of life, then I don’t know what is. A memory we will cherish forever,” read a portion of Anushka’s post caption.
A couple of days later, Kohli had also posted the aforementioned pictures of them together amid the mountains as they tried to soak in the calmness and experience the serenity of mother nature with no one at sight to remind them of their status.
